tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91333407663044086892024-03-13T14:43:48.076-07:00Adventures in DomesticityKatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-3489991588280029222011-07-10T17:42:00.000-07:002011-07-15T22:58:10.260-07:00Kitchen Cabinet ProgressI mentioned that I would be using the Rust-Oleum cabinet transformation kit to redo our cabinets. I am about 1/2 way through the kitchen cabinet transformation, so I thought I'd show you how it's going - So far I am really pleased with the product. I had a couple minor set backs but those were operator error. I somehow dripped the top coat on the front of the cabinets while finishing the back, it hardened and became a pain to remove and had to do a major touch up on about 5 cabinets. I think it would have been easier to just have redone the whole front but I was trying to conserve the products. Anyway, I have 1/2 of the kitchen done! Between coats, Todd and I just stand facing the completed side, repeatedly saying "I can't believe how good it looks! They look like brand new cabinets!" We are very pleased to say the least.<br />
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Pictures of our progress:<br />
(After playing around with the settings on my camera - using the "food" setting, I finally got a few that were closer to the true color which is a nice chocolate brown. Maybe the "food" setting worked because the color we chose was cocoa? or because it takes place in a kitchen?? Who knows.)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Before pictures:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(look behind the popcorn ceiling-dust-covered me and at the cabinets!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCXUJ15ZDPlpLvsHrIrQ9y-kRVSWfLEgvHNkNWUAxce77xrPs1kYZgCJim550pYQuOLhMzOdtTswvyB-pPv3kjO4Jqcb7y3F_49tsHhwJ61R6tSZH7-RPzzXjCDTzU7GhNjnk2mRWqPW8/s1600/P1020428+-+Copy+-+Copy+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCXUJ15ZDPlpLvsHrIrQ9y-kRVSWfLEgvHNkNWUAxce77xrPs1kYZgCJim550pYQuOLhMzOdtTswvyB-pPv3kjO4Jqcb7y3F_49tsHhwJ61R6tSZH7-RPzzXjCDTzU7GhNjnk2mRWqPW8/s400/P1020428+-+Copy+-+Copy+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">For some reason the countertop goes all the way against the oven, while the cabinets do not. There is about a 3 inch gap on both sides between the cabinets and oven. Which the previous owners covered with a strip of lament. See how we fixed it below...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQQ-MF386_j46NRp8eMc43MzsiNz-oTm0idwdranNiwHjSfdsJIIG52Euz-7tPysP08kShpb8HRVJc65RCtiqZJVJcKTF4IIcs56ygymLmxFYrph5pcJdwCKlEai6uUFyKj08dp9HMvmq/s1600/P1020524+-+Copy+%25282%2529+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQQ-MF386_j46NRp8eMc43MzsiNz-oTm0idwdranNiwHjSfdsJIIG52Euz-7tPysP08kShpb8HRVJc65RCtiqZJVJcKTF4IIcs56ygymLmxFYrph5pcJdwCKlEai6uUFyKj08dp9HMvmq/s400/P1020524+-+Copy+%25282%2529+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">During:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is after the doors and cabinets had been cleaned and the "bond coat" (sort of like paint/primer) had been applied</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4OzU1DvQFrlL8FUmOptD6A_tleOj8ZIeU9PyhIT-Cvhdu4bBCq-x4TaGGbASJZSF19V7h1rFR34sDD-0jepADYiaWumpQua8xIGfieIjM6AM0fb3f9EzM6kaSXAWr916WZuIs7-Hoc2m/s1600/P1020533+-+Copy+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4OzU1DvQFrlL8FUmOptD6A_tleOj8ZIeU9PyhIT-Cvhdu4bBCq-x4TaGGbASJZSF19V7h1rFR34sDD-0jepADYiaWumpQua8xIGfieIjM6AM0fb3f9EzM6kaSXAWr916WZuIs7-Hoc2m/s400/P1020533+-+Copy+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge95Jq1QTlcQSD8LbH4EBBYTT4Vd5-nRqpE80uLZJfG9vdPCUKwYEfk6tuwxWaJlekU2sl5dUmx4MnvAGedRSmZpEkrV97SCjEh8MeuJWgV0vlMyhZmy1oBY5ZBXjy8EcwS9AoEvbTCgB1/s1600/P1020549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge95Jq1QTlcQSD8LbH4EBBYTT4Vd5-nRqpE80uLZJfG9vdPCUKwYEfk6tuwxWaJlekU2sl5dUmx4MnvAGedRSmZpEkrV97SCjEh8MeuJWgV0vlMyhZmy1oBY5ZBXjy8EcwS9AoEvbTCgB1/s400/P1020549.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">More during:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>After you apply the Bond Coat, then you apply a decorative glaze provided in the kit. This is what really brings your cabinets to life and gives them character and a professional quality I don't think would have been achieved by paint alone.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFLT-_-Ah4BuunjuFC8vjhrjekMnnsYWkZ_XwkiUKyFASHUMWUMUhn7VSTCByCMNkx-9gCI3QAqLVSK6gwJYxofIpShId97C4_lx8BfGgpoVZ2SmTKAjIVq85dj4L1ZkfPQ5zEzD6yf28/s1600/P1020577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFLT-_-Ah4BuunjuFC8vjhrjekMnnsYWkZ_XwkiUKyFASHUMWUMUhn7VSTCByCMNkx-9gCI3QAqLVSK6gwJYxofIpShId97C4_lx8BfGgpoVZ2SmTKAjIVq85dj4L1ZkfPQ5zEzD6yf28/s400/P1020577.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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The final step is to apply a clear top coat, which is also provided in the kit.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">After (so far):<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We added a piece of trim in place of the laminate to cover the gap next to the stove.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6YS-ICHeKdzZPpXYN-AcjyCgl2ZlXweT9BxOdr1N-Ejln5KTPa4qAFnumZXooZDG5iSypOGbu-Oa_sJ8wk4NO6JMC9la3XWPlhQpcnQNNN0DuvuCaRXFmlXz2qjGMtiJ3ILkUIa4KynF/s1600/P1020579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6YS-ICHeKdzZPpXYN-AcjyCgl2ZlXweT9BxOdr1N-Ejln5KTPa4qAFnumZXooZDG5iSypOGbu-Oa_sJ8wk4NO6JMC9la3XWPlhQpcnQNNN0DuvuCaRXFmlXz2qjGMtiJ3ILkUIa4KynF/s400/P1020579.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sadly, my camera isn't able to properly capture the effect the "decorative glaze" has. It really makes a difference in person. I'll continue to play with the settings on my camera to see if I can get a better picture. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I am also in love the the hardware we chose, I'll show you a close up next time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There is still a lot to do - Finish the rest of the cabinets, apply the hardware (we just bought a few to test them out) and do touch ups! I can't wait to finish so I can have my kitchen back and show you the final look!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">one more before and after: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gifninja.com/animatedgifs/108416/kitchen-cabinets-gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://gifninja.com/animatedgifs/108416/kitchen-cabinets-gif.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Linking to:<br />
<a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/search/label/Link%20Parties" target="_blank"><img alt="UndertheTableandDreaming" border="0" src="http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv298/theliebertfamily/party.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="beforeAndAfterButton" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vWJtYZJbaFE/ThuQPgLflZI/AAAAAAAAOFg/NX4TXZDPVFw/beforeAndAfterButton_thumb1.gif?imgmax=800" /><br />
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<center><a href="http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e26/c2afwife/aditsmain.gif" /></a></center><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Garamond, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;"><a href="http://www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img imageanchor="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7o_9HqT-VRdk09TvavhVbGkSHGep_FUUGZTfe3bxOJqF4hvzfbuxgAT8nEj9_8UCG5IODwpsTkKLhfj0Xt2rz12_a_CC1-Xkiy7bfQlpCMwBRHWLzz9Hmbp73lVlEMUGMj5YyDrQHhA/s1600/get+your+brag+on+yellow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" /></a></span> </span><br />
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<center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Garamond, serif;"><a href="http://www.delicateconstruction.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i780.photobucket.com/albums/yy82/mrsmichellebarbour/may182011010-1.jpg" /></a></span></center></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=9c51b427-d298-445c-b203-4f44e3b13915" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-80146343118242106872011-07-02T08:21:00.000-07:002011-07-02T20:31:22.431-07:00Kitchen ceiling and lights complete!We've finished the ceiling and lights in the kitchen! It was a lot of work but I think it makes a huge difference!<br />
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Before and afters:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-1dN_8MMG9Cabt4vHD1w5Y-EW64BchmXV4dckus2xZutztNaiKkaX10F-veDUDUUQ0HlRm8rhscSqfSAuzckQkFU2-bMhCv6vkxDaDYtpepeakjEfpH3Uf-pOahNgtKgISfHXj51tDk0/s1600/P1010285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-1dN_8MMG9Cabt4vHD1w5Y-EW64BchmXV4dckus2xZutztNaiKkaX10F-veDUDUUQ0HlRm8rhscSqfSAuzckQkFU2-bMhCv6vkxDaDYtpepeakjEfpH3Uf-pOahNgtKgISfHXj51tDk0/s400/P1010285.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">I also updated the light fixture above the sink to match the new fixture we installed.</div><div style="text-align: center;">All it took was a few shots of Rust-Oleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze. I used the paint and primer version, and it covered beautifully.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Before:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RMer8j1Grf8-ryAb7SCl74y456EtXCejMt8Ci2UlOkwxvp_tSGDZ1Dzv-pVF3QVsLptw1RGB3BV97JEv4nPhqKXBS8LVGd8OvocOTpyYb3XtbaPnvL8jVSIjC-l1CJpn6pg48nE4u7K2/s1600/sink+light+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RMer8j1Grf8-ryAb7SCl74y456EtXCejMt8Ci2UlOkwxvp_tSGDZ1Dzv-pVF3QVsLptw1RGB3BV97JEv4nPhqKXBS8LVGd8OvocOTpyYb3XtbaPnvL8jVSIjC-l1CJpn6pg48nE4u7K2/s400/sink+light+before.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><div style="text-align: center;">(I haven't put the curtain back - and you can see a little preview of the cabinet transformations I've started working on!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgw4_t5zFupfsxJr-T2-XFmIhCwHdHciFh7OLRec24_vYA8wIhFJrcG3FGENtRHxbec_5C3XwDI8GqObMonEJrLvjlSdRUShZuV7UPxgbC5jBwXXWtvWlsCOklbAmtgSrVi_0JPQQOIVpw/s1600/P1020540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgw4_t5zFupfsxJr-T2-XFmIhCwHdHciFh7OLRec24_vYA8wIhFJrcG3FGENtRHxbec_5C3XwDI8GqObMonEJrLvjlSdRUShZuV7UPxgbC5jBwXXWtvWlsCOklbAmtgSrVi_0JPQQOIVpw/s400/P1020540.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Here they are together:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_TXl4r3d8gCzk4NFVC4HY_aEYBBT_8QxB7dyHAyVn2_MpQkV25jOnSGmtdeShrG3lnJn0v4cCIegphsAcznnKKi9VLRMVPRUZIHoQsIu4e-sxfFioZzRptJEl1xIGvEfMB4DTm9CgrYc/s1600/P1020541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_TXl4r3d8gCzk4NFVC4HY_aEYBBT_8QxB7dyHAyVn2_MpQkV25jOnSGmtdeShrG3lnJn0v4cCIegphsAcznnKKi9VLRMVPRUZIHoQsIu4e-sxfFioZzRptJEl1xIGvEfMB4DTm9CgrYc/s400/P1020541.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center;">Linking to...</div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2011/07/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-photocentric.html">tatertots and jello</a><br />
<a href="http://becca-homeiswheremystorybegins.blogspot.com/2011/06/home-and-family-friday_30.html">Home is where my story begins</a><br />
<a href="http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/2011/06/frugalicious-friday_30.html">Finding fabulous</a><br />
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<center><a href="http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special" border="0" src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b243/signmakergirl/satnitenew150w-1.jpg" /></a></center><br />
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</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-31135415039644943112011-06-30T10:23:00.000-07:002011-06-30T10:24:46.594-07:00Cabinet TransformationI started working on the next part of the kitchen make over! Here's a hint:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2rymGtqMZ9z-V8X7VQ6wDpoCo2_0YmSGGGFpoOqqbXXxFL8IjOmwVVrWgKujJ-78aayAt32TWqL8epWkuEnoNDVceK2gkZqoV32wsdWYXXRhIrLyxhFLUbsPfqk7CTRioee_zGTvOzwx/s1600/P1020522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2rymGtqMZ9z-V8X7VQ6wDpoCo2_0YmSGGGFpoOqqbXXxFL8IjOmwVVrWgKujJ-78aayAt32TWqL8epWkuEnoNDVceK2gkZqoV32wsdWYXXRhIrLyxhFLUbsPfqk7CTRioee_zGTvOzwx/s400/P1020522.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The color we chose is Cocoa.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOh-iCuZWK7yp-iX1mwhkEvi1b0tfFUfUou8fksIZe1OceB203sGHs7-U7gl4McOrz-NuO5HytTAYkhgkzt8AFDvGtKqbJYo4WCYX4uFQFe19SWH3qLDVUUs7gcTwe6NWy26DC7uH-0xqK/s1600/P1020523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOh-iCuZWK7yp-iX1mwhkEvi1b0tfFUfUou8fksIZe1OceB203sGHs7-U7gl4McOrz-NuO5HytTAYkhgkzt8AFDvGtKqbJYo4WCYX4uFQFe19SWH3qLDVUUs7gcTwe6NWy26DC7uH-0xqK/s400/P1020523.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">I think it will bring a richness to the kitchen while sticking with the wood tones of the rest of the house.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The ceiling and lights are pretty much done. I just have to attach one more fixture and touch up a couple smudges from installing the recessed lights. I'll work on those between steps in the cabinet transformation! I hope to post the finished ceiling and lights by tomorrow.</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-10676585132570301722011-06-27T14:11:00.000-07:002011-06-29T19:32:37.047-07:00Kitchen Make Over! [drywall repair and texture]When we left off, we had taken down the old fluorescent box light and removed the popcorn ceiling. You can read about that <a href="http://theloftinblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/kitchen-make-over-part-1.html">here</a>.<br />
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Once all of the popcorn texture was removed, it was time to finish the ceiling.This involved patching old holes, cutting new holes and applying a new texture to the ceiling. Our plan was to remove the four fluorescent tube lights, and install recessed lights instead. However, none of the recessed lights would be using any of the holes from the original light fixture :( So we had four holes to patch and five new holes to cut (in addition to the four recessed lights we ordered an awesome light fixture/fan combo for the center of the room). Since I had so many holes to patch I decided to apply a subtle texture to the ceiling to help mask the patches.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKTJRGxQjWEAznQZI8mKTKXRFeFIxBigq2LihlwPBXpSrngHpmZolroVbhAPTIjPiJ2HR-fs7HyCgRs5oo3rhodAWl9JRhFopz0kJSHHMki2e3oxY4MoXU9T0HPlc6idYqgxHJlwE_O_k/s1600/P1020485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKTJRGxQjWEAznQZI8mKTKXRFeFIxBigq2LihlwPBXpSrngHpmZolroVbhAPTIjPiJ2HR-fs7HyCgRs5oo3rhodAWl9JRhFopz0kJSHHMki2e3oxY4MoXU9T0HPlc6idYqgxHJlwE_O_k/s320/P1020485.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Todd removed the old light fixtures and I set to work patching the holes they left behind. I used a self-adhesive drywall patch I found at Lowes. These work great! It's as easy as it says on the package - stick it on, cover with compound, sand and paint.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The product:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWv3eCALsdqNl0N3JSt9zvTItraQZFd0cb-63723X6YjN__RqRPmSajRFyeFzvEk75IHceGGTG1JyGhO_HI6hjweaFZU-JaxlcIRxC2Z72NPVWMS5SrRFwzN_LLqsUbxULjXTJ1qMpmYd/s1600/P1020487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWv3eCALsdqNl0N3JSt9zvTItraQZFd0cb-63723X6YjN__RqRPmSajRFyeFzvEk75IHceGGTG1JyGhO_HI6hjweaFZU-JaxlcIRxC2Z72NPVWMS5SrRFwzN_LLqsUbxULjXTJ1qMpmYd/s400/P1020487.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Patch in place!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4L2dQLWFMLodNYwhneeHC7uxQbiEmZVDwq3VZEz9yfsLCdqZzrmVGScAtk2x8-DOWx42kl7zYviU-ZQ7etPINuYwFP5X-z19jjUnDM1-C1oLBGL3_MUdJBMhjq-ItrwhagRhGJ09r8gg/s1600/P1020489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4L2dQLWFMLodNYwhneeHC7uxQbiEmZVDwq3VZEz9yfsLCdqZzrmVGScAtk2x8-DOWx42kl7zYviU-ZQ7etPINuYwFP5X-z19jjUnDM1-C1oLBGL3_MUdJBMhjq-ItrwhagRhGJ09r8gg/s400/P1020489.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYq6dKx_hE4v83DnjvdvLx5AB-D1uOs0PgYLB3O5Y30zB6AAcMce60V-BQHQpqbVabMB_t-Ikt_53cd5RiMS3uHEQDBSq_IY0iFYD1j44ERRe4IPhce3OnjI6e2Hxzh2uA9Qee_9vuC00/s1600/P1020488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYq6dKx_hE4v83DnjvdvLx5AB-D1uOs0PgYLB3O5Y30zB6AAcMce60V-BQHQpqbVabMB_t-Ikt_53cd5RiMS3uHEQDBSq_IY0iFYD1j44ERRe4IPhce3OnjI6e2Hxzh2uA9Qee_9vuC00/s400/P1020488.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was only after we removed the light fixtures that I realized there were a number of smaller holes as well. For these I just used a small square of drywall tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Lk30IvRF3evdVcQCfUyL2Rz7uCt-WUcCxbMBATDJORTWXpkqNMfkZ-NMXdIGzP24qRNgdT5Q7LLw3FCvV9zMfCsWfe7way_5LyTHoTIlA4ebZlazWFreNTcTtSLRQ7ZpP8XwvCGEtFgk/s1600/P1020491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Lk30IvRF3evdVcQCfUyL2Rz7uCt-WUcCxbMBATDJORTWXpkqNMfkZ-NMXdIGzP24qRNgdT5Q7LLw3FCvV9zMfCsWfe7way_5LyTHoTIlA4ebZlazWFreNTcTtSLRQ7ZpP8XwvCGEtFgk/s400/P1020491.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulNumjaLQOnvqKeGH7ZETyRbq34pCxVp3bUgWgdom3x5PcWX6w2xdj7CYn-mdGliZ0UvpK3vsx6KAINQHgofkZW29ItdJqvMrmY4iZN2uveNUsIrIdaVp0xYqnGJnd-tPW1sN0UIEtitG/s1600/P1020490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulNumjaLQOnvqKeGH7ZETyRbq34pCxVp3bUgWgdom3x5PcWX6w2xdj7CYn-mdGliZ0UvpK3vsx6KAINQHgofkZW29ItdJqvMrmY4iZN2uveNUsIrIdaVp0xYqnGJnd-tPW1sN0UIEtitG/s400/P1020490.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Once patched, I neatly applied drywall compound to cover the mesh. Once dry, it was time to lightly sand it, prime the walls and ceiling and then apply texture.<br />
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To create a texture similar to that found in other parts of our house, I found this product made by Homax. Texture in a can! I have to say that overall I was very happy with this product. Very easy to apply and I was happy with the way it looked. The one drawback (and it's a pretty big one) is that it didn't cover anywhere close to the amount of space it says on the can. It says it should cover at least 25 square feet and for me it was covering maybe 15 square feet. Quite a big difference, but I didn't want to switch techniques in the middle of my project, so I just bit the bullet and bought more cans. I would definitely use this product again, but probably not for such a big area. What the product lost in coverage area, it made up for in ease of use and a pretty finish!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Picture of the can:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARLvJdS-7s6oSHsgUYLvEnfvbS_f6Ch4saQl91PUW7Ya0Gpe2lClqbgpJG3g4X3Vj3z1XJL3VkEdGqIz_voDuEr4AkEEoeXwnm_mmQ9uPXyBbuoij_ZmnPDVZKQ37nD6TZJCTLNZol561/s1600/P1020508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARLvJdS-7s6oSHsgUYLvEnfvbS_f6Ch4saQl91PUW7Ya0Gpe2lClqbgpJG3g4X3Vj3z1XJL3VkEdGqIz_voDuEr4AkEEoeXwnm_mmQ9uPXyBbuoij_ZmnPDVZKQ37nD6TZJCTLNZol561/s400/P1020508.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Spray it on in a circular motion:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkzVqWfgkBFy7IvUESJAcINAl7HWNQFPHB9NXGr4qpOa3hJL_52h6Qp_xa1-4MB_agMPmhwHzfl-tTe7n3QBe0pEfcwxA37I1hGNojUwgj7V16_5-cG0y7BAO9h8iQ_CvTWxiV5TN3ZZw/s1600/P1020510+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkzVqWfgkBFy7IvUESJAcINAl7HWNQFPHB9NXGr4qpOa3hJL_52h6Qp_xa1-4MB_agMPmhwHzfl-tTe7n3QBe0pEfcwxA37I1hGNojUwgj7V16_5-cG0y7BAO9h8iQ_CvTWxiV5TN3ZZw/s400/P1020510+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Let it set up for a few minutes (the can says 2, but in our heat I found that 5 worked better for me). Then, holding a paint scraper/mud knife parrallel to the wall, lightly swipe the knife over the area.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4vxXRJ0Idk6L0CmDVfS2ZgL7PSUYUAdzsUP-xjx8egpjJsVe3ZgK2Gg5T6KZA3PjsVR9MPRjFoH4KwSkdhT0QwQa69fKd7XuZK9QRRp7p72fs7DqSTBZHVsDeDYI7LcWg4sU4TgVuHIc/s1600/P1020512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4vxXRJ0Idk6L0CmDVfS2ZgL7PSUYUAdzsUP-xjx8egpjJsVe3ZgK2Gg5T6KZA3PjsVR9MPRjFoH4KwSkdhT0QwQa69fKd7XuZK9QRRp7p72fs7DqSTBZHVsDeDYI7LcWg4sU4TgVuHIc/s400/P1020512.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Tada!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEYFgxsL2jKOSht5oABYhUcK2t7duqd20bBF0YtXQ45JrNzIYvBw-rJWDtFBN60lTgwlgKTdc825_O-jgnKcqDGUUcG2ZZ0WKCHkmG1R_-AVj2mF7Dr2w6CiP94j7OEAPsJWNqmaO8pNq/s1600/P1020513+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEYFgxsL2jKOSht5oABYhUcK2t7duqd20bBF0YtXQ45JrNzIYvBw-rJWDtFBN60lTgwlgKTdc825_O-jgnKcqDGUUcG2ZZ0WKCHkmG1R_-AVj2mF7Dr2w6CiP94j7OEAPsJWNqmaO8pNq/s400/P1020513+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Once it's fully dry, it's ready to paint!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/search/label/Link%20Parties" target="_blank"><img alt="UndertheTableandDreaming" border="0" src="http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv298/theliebertfamily/party.png" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #867365; font-family: monospace; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://tipjunkie.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Tip Junkie handmade projects" border="0" src="http://www.tipjunkie.com/images/TipMeTuesdayButton1.png" /></a></span><br />
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<center><a href="http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e26/c2afwife/aditsmain.gif" /></a></center><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Garamond, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;"> <a border="0" href="http://www.askannamoseley.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff398/askannamoseley/th_Weekendwarriorbuttonsmall.jpg" /></a></span></span></div></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img imageanchor="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7o_9HqT-VRdk09TvavhVbGkSHGep_FUUGZTfe3bxOJqF4hvzfbuxgAT8nEj9_8UCG5IODwpsTkKLhfj0Xt2rz12_a_CC1-Xkiy7bfQlpCMwBRHWLzz9Hmbp73lVlEMUGMj5YyDrQHhA/s1600/get+your+brag+on+yellow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" /></a></div></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-78312975463125681502011-06-25T19:49:00.000-07:002011-06-26T11:59:00.086-07:00Kitchen Make Over! [part 1]Todd and I decided to spend the summer giving our kitchen a make over. The first part involved tearing down the fluorescent light box that took up the majority of the ceiling.<br />
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</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">The official before pic:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF7a_d8twvvfazKPUh8DzM7zJEHiUiaPHkLuLe128PejQh1-8MlkGdWJ_euuzZEq7nN1Uy6CwA6QhuAdCTg_yHIYSO4cR5MaBo8jjZWwCemKejjZaVOSwaI7W0zSHyEFc5DHTM5RE-OJk/s1600/P1010285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF7a_d8twvvfazKPUh8DzM7zJEHiUiaPHkLuLe128PejQh1-8MlkGdWJ_euuzZEq7nN1Uy6CwA6QhuAdCTg_yHIYSO4cR5MaBo8jjZWwCemKejjZaVOSwaI7W0zSHyEFc5DHTM5RE-OJk/s400/P1010285.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After removing the plastic covers/diffusers </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb29mtyE9ifv7ESgJNyEXnCP5lizzqthmRpsS22GBlIC_o5aWHo4Adsg9GlpRoE_vLzalKEOa6EvZUrSwuzRG1MnPkW1Qln3rVtb1cynA2UdLTuzfgl6xbcT0SlzW564xvXzh22mVAggbC/s1600/P1020417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb29mtyE9ifv7ESgJNyEXnCP5lizzqthmRpsS22GBlIC_o5aWHo4Adsg9GlpRoE_vLzalKEOa6EvZUrSwuzRG1MnPkW1Qln3rVtb1cynA2UdLTuzfgl6xbcT0SlzW564xvXzh22mVAggbC/s400/P1020417.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_ZaskkxWm64k2dyBP08a69GE-3P4R3GlETNfJn0E7z4rhuKdbGuQK9aQTpkz4VDDhTHDGy6AV3GOV4yjZWAboIZfZpeuMtUQYgOpZfx0ZgNB-8ewUcV-rRB3vQdUfWisJQrVbdcBjsvw/s1600/P1020418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_ZaskkxWm64k2dyBP08a69GE-3P4R3GlETNfJn0E7z4rhuKdbGuQK9aQTpkz4VDDhTHDGy6AV3GOV4yjZWAboIZfZpeuMtUQYgOpZfx0ZgNB-8ewUcV-rRB3vQdUfWisJQrVbdcBjsvw/s400/P1020418.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After we removed the wooden structure</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah4EZwcbZMOryttFsFU8Di5Oxvd6ItZSc0wEAca5YRHbigz2F8zxzgYfMbu-IfW0M-9Y_M9j7dkPz_3Bkua4-yX0F3gD8Gl3K1-N1qZW_VbkLo69IXr9PRBv0MB1RpD8TIDmxYjGmA6af/s1600/P1020422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah4EZwcbZMOryttFsFU8Di5Oxvd6ItZSc0wEAca5YRHbigz2F8zxzgYfMbu-IfW0M-9Y_M9j7dkPz_3Bkua4-yX0F3gD8Gl3K1-N1qZW_VbkLo69IXr9PRBv0MB1RpD8TIDmxYjGmA6af/s400/P1020422.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Assessing the damage</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulfqJnREseuWercf5iz3PdwNtElaj4O91A-nQuvn13iggvJZjSSfIx-p-Uy-h6fQjYc2QoovESWQS-4459dSFJND43V9XCNRHI4rZMMfhqyMS_SayNbmJp9o7GnvsLvyjzi_4NUo9zxzf/s1600/P1020423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulfqJnREseuWercf5iz3PdwNtElaj4O91A-nQuvn13iggvJZjSSfIx-p-Uy-h6fQjYc2QoovESWQS-4459dSFJND43V9XCNRHI4rZMMfhqyMS_SayNbmJp9o7GnvsLvyjzi_4NUo9zxzf/s400/P1020423.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The next step was to remove the popcorn from the bottom part of the soffit. I read a lot of tips on removing popcorn ceiling. I found that ours was more difficult than most of the ones I saw on "how to" videos because ours had been painted [with seemingly impenetrable paint!]. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">What worked for me:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9Klv7pOCr4srnLcmbxrXmf4KVEIEu3dUql_ZhKHOebKMoBeTtLW5UHVgPNg-obcUn0fT0dwyyJzMgqA2YPn_VIRc5HsOurdfIib2jvXvs3lC3-g7-dgVYKVGF4ltMw4vcyH9kW0TKJ6k/s1600/P1020506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9Klv7pOCr4srnLcmbxrXmf4KVEIEu3dUql_ZhKHOebKMoBeTtLW5UHVgPNg-obcUn0fT0dwyyJzMgqA2YPn_VIRc5HsOurdfIib2jvXvs3lC3-g7-dgVYKVGF4ltMw4vcyH9kW0TKJ6k/s400/P1020506.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul><li style="text-align: left;">A garden sprayer and household spray bottle - I used both depending on the space I was working in. It was hard to get the garden sprayer in some areas. I filled both of these with WARM water and a little dish soap. I found that the warm water really made a difference. I also liked that this garden sprayer had a continuous spray option. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Metal paint scraper</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Utility Knift</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Razor blade scraper</li>
</ul><div><div style="text-align: left;">I had read that if you moistened the popcorn with a sprayer it would just scrape right off. This didn't work for me because the mist couldn't penetrate the layers of paint on the ceiling. So I ended up using a utility knife to score the ceiling (being careful not to go too deep). After I scored the popcorn texture, I then moistened it using the sprayer. After letting the warm water/soap mixture soak in, the majority of the texture scraped off easily. It did create quite the mess though! There were a few parts that were especially hard to scrape completely off. I found that if removed all of the loose parts and then sprayed again, it was easily removed with the razor blade scraper.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks Todd for taking this <strike>bad picture of me</strike> picture of me looking hot in my safety gear. Not flattering. But what you do see is safety glasses and a mask. I left these out of my picture above but they are definitely a must. Dampening the texture keeps the dust at a minimum but there is still A LOT of dust and you don't want to breathe it in!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyxvrrNnHR_d5FNJysO5vao-CXYbZCZIik7piP1I2FgRo4Q4sGXNflbo8Chx3ArAfkQvgJGc9eJteHAo-t2uiMiFd22BsqOj9-Ojmo2FYA76Yz0hkH3H-K25cvOArenkII4bhe1id-87R/s1600/P1020424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyxvrrNnHR_d5FNJysO5vao-CXYbZCZIik7piP1I2FgRo4Q4sGXNflbo8Chx3ArAfkQvgJGc9eJteHAo-t2uiMiFd22BsqOj9-Ojmo2FYA76Yz0hkH3H-K25cvOArenkII4bhe1id-87R/s400/P1020424.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Popcorn ceiling removed!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir88o_r4ENjGyXAJv2FfX_rbg1ODmvgooAWtfVur9J7GzXUj18acBNkwcCvGM380wYqyhmS7fd-raZxhVGg71kDLZsgZgPnH8CYDNMkJTZHmfdcc4CAuGI5Pv3xasr9tK20g5ARnwZP7fH/s1600/P1020427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir88o_r4ENjGyXAJv2FfX_rbg1ODmvgooAWtfVur9J7GzXUj18acBNkwcCvGM380wYqyhmS7fd-raZxhVGg71kDLZsgZgPnH8CYDNMkJTZHmfdcc4CAuGI5Pv3xasr9tK20g5ARnwZP7fH/s320/P1020427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Stay tuned for the rest of the ceiling transformation and new lighting</div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/search/label/Link%20Parties" target="_blank"><img alt="UndertheTableandDreaming" border="0" src="http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv298/theliebertfamily/party.png" /></a> </div></div></div></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=7b78e319-75bf-4a1d-bc96-6926013870af" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-41813297323292619302011-06-09T15:01:00.000-07:002011-06-11T22:09:36.245-07:00Cedar chest to cushioned storage benchYears ago (when I was in middle school or high school) my grandfather brought me a cedar chest he got at a garage sale. I kept it in my room. My mom thought we could use it for a hope chest but all I managed to gather for it was a used george forman grill and some old prom pictures. Now that I've been living out of my parents house for a while and Todd and I have a place of our own, we went over to my parents to clean out even more stuff from my old room. It's amazing the things that you think you <i>must keep</i> when you're 19 :)<br />
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One of the things we brought back was the old chest, but I had big plans for it. Todd and I had been wanting an upholstered storage bench for the front of our bed to put extra pillows/linens (stuff I only use when I make the bed special - like if someone might actually see it!). Here is how my makeover turned out!<br />
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Before picture (see I'm getting better about the before picture!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs0hi_w21xiprFQgtrBnZsC_7PbNZzKJVkgG7_8y3ZEomifWcb8WeZJnpzJ2hWlFg_xZDWMjKUpHrIOsSKqiBJQTC-BrO2gCPgISz0UdN0rumDRZV9dl2Nd8vwrJTVWtY4exVu0z1eswr/s1600/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs0hi_w21xiprFQgtrBnZsC_7PbNZzKJVkgG7_8y3ZEomifWcb8WeZJnpzJ2hWlFg_xZDWMjKUpHrIOsSKqiBJQTC-BrO2gCPgISz0UdN0rumDRZV9dl2Nd8vwrJTVWtY4exVu0z1eswr/s400/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
After I sanded it, I painted it brown, using Valspar spray paint in "Brown Velvet" - satin finish. Then I went shopping for foam for the top. My plan was to make a nice cushion for the top and upholster it with an extra curtain panel we had from the house we rented. As soon as I went to the fabric store I came down with a huge case of sticker shock! I could not believe how expensive foam could be - even on sale! So my project was put on hold, because I knew their had to be a <strike>cheaper </strike> better way to complete my vision.<br />
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Luckily we are in prime garage sale season! I searched garages sales for foam and finally came across just what I was looking for - a full sized egg crate foam mattress topper. My plan was to put two pieces together egg crate side in so I would end up with the smooth sides for the top and bottom. The best part about this story is when I asked the lady in charge of the sale how much she wanted for the topper - she said she'd give it to me for free. FOR FREEEEEEEE. Free is much better than store bought foam $$. I told her I loved her. And I do.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPxlbXCRZEydhWVdFDXrvjETlOnxr4fXSCIz7AOFjx-w3gApesVB7gWIOooHvdF2VUmuGTRH8dB_mfxyCr8DeB2knh7k_YIDp_tpwKRYXyX3cNWif3gvVNTeQNhGsjugf9710XFHPVJ7y/s1600/P1020397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPxlbXCRZEydhWVdFDXrvjETlOnxr4fXSCIz7AOFjx-w3gApesVB7gWIOooHvdF2VUmuGTRH8dB_mfxyCr8DeB2knh7k_YIDp_tpwKRYXyX3cNWif3gvVNTeQNhGsjugf9710XFHPVJ7y/s400/P1020397.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHFoAy07rRfqkiWtubZ__KWWK0MMIYc7rfEmBjTfp68NUdtquhXWTSI4p0JsZw2kZ7dDcy4iKd1WSe5aktEPRJpjMiuiAhM_xjiPf2puSURaxl5eKNJ_wZrjZ1CMwwETH5rRuqK8k2qmQ/s1600/P1020398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHFoAy07rRfqkiWtubZ__KWWK0MMIYc7rfEmBjTfp68NUdtquhXWTSI4p0JsZw2kZ7dDcy4iKd1WSe5aktEPRJpjMiuiAhM_xjiPf2puSURaxl5eKNJ_wZrjZ1CMwwETH5rRuqK8k2qmQ/s400/P1020398.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So I removed the top of the chest, covered it in batting using my staple gun to secure it. Then I added my my pieces of foam and upholstered the whole thing using my extra curtain material and a staple gun!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Here is the final result!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBydYlwpKC2gbt8NN6CkTDtprVChNhrz642O33_xBZdlcPkKctVG1n8KsT-3G-iLNSG10wwqXaz9VnMPvwARJgJ7LQawZx8mpwdgJ173XrCpPLIfrbMAuUSaOnSRY-GbfrmUb55LlJk71D/s1600/P1020411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBydYlwpKC2gbt8NN6CkTDtprVChNhrz642O33_xBZdlcPkKctVG1n8KsT-3G-iLNSG10wwqXaz9VnMPvwARJgJ7LQawZx8mpwdgJ173XrCpPLIfrbMAuUSaOnSRY-GbfrmUb55LlJk71D/s400/P1020411.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kgncCJ42DGaBbokuB3ELwyR0ZjCD6nhhf07ONs1LP-jJnKY2kncV6MS-48XKIm1EBGEMZONumJn8hrh5makv14TPn1neTloVoiz2zaEneHoAE0E-An0BJ_qJJUSqkbb9olrXKQM8sfjB/s1600/P1020410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kgncCJ42DGaBbokuB3ELwyR0ZjCD6nhhf07ONs1LP-jJnKY2kncV6MS-48XKIm1EBGEMZONumJn8hrh5makv14TPn1neTloVoiz2zaEneHoAE0E-An0BJ_qJJUSqkbb9olrXKQM8sfjB/s400/P1020410.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikv2n0lmZ2fr-ywZMjFk7chFRhTicyP5h0EIicYiYiw9a4wLxscN7fDLLMRGZtAx60F3iMujzEIZQ5_ZzBkVSO0fFihWvJUaTkn6TxYh5J6Z54GLgTfwaoEnPMiiRzbRKVuo5ODV-ByaFv/s1600/P1020409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikv2n0lmZ2fr-ywZMjFk7chFRhTicyP5h0EIicYiYiw9a4wLxscN7fDLLMRGZtAx60F3iMujzEIZQ5_ZzBkVSO0fFihWvJUaTkn6TxYh5J6Z54GLgTfwaoEnPMiiRzbRKVuo5ODV-ByaFv/s400/P1020409.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS1eu9qB7UsaX7L9xHjH-RGqIhKaet-ARBpo3H4DF20R8SR1GC6bwV9PbnQjvoR0PAGZaeMJQqovDs-v2wtdChfza7jR2QMZakNO2Up_n9F8paEwAVal4zP-1m6fzHGLEQZk1K15CdcoF/s1600/P1020408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS1eu9qB7UsaX7L9xHjH-RGqIhKaet-ARBpo3H4DF20R8SR1GC6bwV9PbnQjvoR0PAGZaeMJQqovDs-v2wtdChfza7jR2QMZakNO2Up_n9F8paEwAVal4zP-1m6fzHGLEQZk1K15CdcoF/s400/P1020408.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bROybIb1k6iVAyuGf6OhvdfK0vQlCg9GXD-4XUuNTAVSv4qBqclOKFb2EIysQhHb9qpUVzsqc16hyphenhyphenRadvHm1JiAIqFIMssVpQpnoZdZlPYVA8o4whPBIC0m-Kzs-pRJXN9uwkxo3NOuU/s1600/P1020412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bROybIb1k6iVAyuGf6OhvdfK0vQlCg9GXD-4XUuNTAVSv4qBqclOKFb2EIysQhHb9qpUVzsqc16hyphenhyphenRadvHm1JiAIqFIMssVpQpnoZdZlPYVA8o4whPBIC0m-Kzs-pRJXN9uwkxo3NOuU/s400/P1020412.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> And it only cost me a can of spray paint!<br />
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Linking up:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thecsiproject.com/"><img alt="Visit thecsiproject.com" class="aligncenter" src="http://thecsiproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/thecsiproject.com-logo-300.png" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/search/label/Link%20Parties" target="_blank"><img alt="UndertheTableandDreaming" border="0" src="http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv298/theliebertfamily/party.png" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/">Tatertots and jello</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://designergarden.blogspot.com/2011/06/vip-party-18.html">designergarden</a></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=0eb33c9b-4f53-465e-8f5e-c88355ac19b2" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; float: right; text-align: center;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-19531640981262343402011-02-14T21:16:00.000-08:002011-02-14T21:16:48.822-08:00ValentinesI had a wonderful Valentines Day with a wonderful valentine. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband.<br />
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He had some delivered beautiful flowers delivered to school today<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IAoSi7Kb0mG9JbUrI_HnK_GCgBxJ-ioYnq8wnGMT2HIqA3CWmao9XrR454vAoEjMCVcuOxjL6Ftw4Zfk52gz1PTmcL0tKv0I07lQxC-1_xPuSok-Xm7xhyCBUFLpoBHdpLWQ5izFsc-W/s1600/valentines+1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IAoSi7Kb0mG9JbUrI_HnK_GCgBxJ-ioYnq8wnGMT2HIqA3CWmao9XrR454vAoEjMCVcuOxjL6Ftw4Zfk52gz1PTmcL0tKv0I07lQxC-1_xPuSok-Xm7xhyCBUFLpoBHdpLWQ5izFsc-W/s400/valentines+1.PNG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The card reads, "all my love to you babycakes." One of my favorite things about Todd is that he always comes up with sweet and cute terms of endearment. He also bought me chocolates and wrote a really sweet card - but I'll keep that to myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also came home to cards and chocolate from Morty and Zatara. I think it is really funny how Todd picks out cards from them. I mean, I know they're animals and Todd picks them out - but if they were to pick out they own cards... they totally would have picked these.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Morty's card</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhDsGgxU8yr7lov4yPbfGU-SbzRxf2hpvOJIfhSnSTckFRV0CJs1SUDGMIUjzUqnvT7PNc8Hu7KNTkUlUImjTc8UIfVJpOQoLS0gW4HotvUdoKwA20bXSHoxOGnwNBdqnNxgzl-LFkuOA/s1600/valentines+morty+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhDsGgxU8yr7lov4yPbfGU-SbzRxf2hpvOJIfhSnSTckFRV0CJs1SUDGMIUjzUqnvT7PNc8Hu7KNTkUlUImjTc8UIfVJpOQoLS0gW4HotvUdoKwA20bXSHoxOGnwNBdqnNxgzl-LFkuOA/s400/valentines+morty+1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgful2r0q18OrROfbk3HWLWKFTa03MeDtUtAvvpe8s78fAdAPgTP64jJ8NgzxdNr5ydVB79V5mBHEaQ4kPZmCtQMgOmFRJfLsLm2QdFWrcjIAOuIsUUBbGSN9Ud3qxoaMybRBG6fNNxjS7X/s1600/valentines+morty+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgful2r0q18OrROfbk3HWLWKFTa03MeDtUtAvvpe8s78fAdAPgTP64jJ8NgzxdNr5ydVB79V5mBHEaQ4kPZmCtQMgOmFRJfLsLm2QdFWrcjIAOuIsUUBbGSN9Ud3qxoaMybRBG6fNNxjS7X/s400/valentines+morty+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Inside it says "I want to lick your face! I love you! Hold me! I love you!" which is totally what he would say if he were a person.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is Zatara's card:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QP1Ka5KK-PJ8w4mQ8_ZgVCQcmd-VR_Qiz1D7tcu5u6PCUDNsq2w2pA8GZWaCGj9WL0tHDmKZgmM-Z4GkG_qouOkyzb0lPWdZDcNDddqsJVODMItZjkjNHAUcUzShHbyTEtFY_Kh4XQIV/s1600/valentines+zatara.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QP1Ka5KK-PJ8w4mQ8_ZgVCQcmd-VR_Qiz1D7tcu5u6PCUDNsq2w2pA8GZWaCGj9WL0tHDmKZgmM-Z4GkG_qouOkyzb0lPWdZDcNDddqsJVODMItZjkjNHAUcUzShHbyTEtFY_Kh4XQIV/s400/valentines+zatara.png" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The inside reads "It just means I'm a cat" and it's signed "Thanks for keeping me around - Zatara"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I like Valentine's day, not just because I have a valentine, but because I fee loved by him and my loving family [ok, and Morty and even Zatara] each day of the year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-27754807030287896602011-02-04T10:58:00.000-08:002011-02-04T10:58:44.194-08:00The after Christmas decor lull.After Christmas I waited patiently for Target's Christmas decorations to go to 90% off. When the day came, I pounced! I bought up every snowflake I could find and even a little "let it snow" sign. I had high hopes of making something like <a href="http://www.google.com/reader/view/#search/snowflake/2">this </a> but I didn't find any snowflakes that big. In addition, I have really fallen in love with the look of our red poinsettia wreath against the sage green of our front door. (I have decided that poinsettias are a winter flower and therefore not just for Christmas) I'll probably keep it up through Valentines since it is red and I don't really decorate for valentines.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTOOfwPM_8IcwcKLPzi_0bQnVBlFVbYJ-1nuN2z2TOyzkZ-EYDbVYw75Dlx_cT9UZb9RcsvREshFxpHiJjkCTv_jfB6jBROgWe83ZCnd_RtC0PM9xX_Af1X_MBhkm89cnqDQW99hkI3ua/s1600/Winter+2011+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTOOfwPM_8IcwcKLPzi_0bQnVBlFVbYJ-1nuN2z2TOyzkZ-EYDbVYw75Dlx_cT9UZb9RcsvREshFxpHiJjkCTv_jfB6jBROgWe83ZCnd_RtC0PM9xX_Af1X_MBhkm89cnqDQW99hkI3ua/s400/Winter+2011+013.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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Once I had my snowflakes home I <s>let them sit in the bag next to my computer for a week</s> just needed a little inspiration (read: deadline). My inspiration came when we I found our we had guests coming up from Texas who were going to see the house for the first time. Getting out of rehearsal late and needing to clean the whole house did not leave much room for crafting or going to the store. But while cleaning out our <s>"Nooooooo don't go in there!"</s> storage room, inspiration struck as I found two snowflake printed gift bags. As one of my<a href="http://choosetothrive.blogspot.com/"> new favorite bloggers</a> suggests: I decided to "Rock what you've got". I took the prints out of two frames that weren't currently being displayed, cut up my bags and put the snowflake paper in them. Then I took the eyelets and ribbon off of the "let it snow" sign. I tried to put the sign on the paper but it was too flimsy. Instead, I just put a glob of hot glue on the sign and stuck it right to the glass! Here's how they turned out:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsk9P30oGGZE7RB8m3-E6rmHlhmJnFm2UwdlzXvmUgPYhkqKhVf_khiaEaiXat5CU54udszpC9dXwOx-Q4Ss1-JewCom7NZVi6GQDXRrBdY6QnQWOkDn_GKQ0N170m2qGJlawJJEp8GWe/s1600/Winter+2011+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsk9P30oGGZE7RB8m3-E6rmHlhmJnFm2UwdlzXvmUgPYhkqKhVf_khiaEaiXat5CU54udszpC9dXwOx-Q4Ss1-JewCom7NZVi6GQDXRrBdY6QnQWOkDn_GKQ0N170m2qGJlawJJEp8GWe/s400/Winter+2011+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzig0EDFcJg4dvMUFfDCeUImno1Ms_Fj40MKH9RiBY7Zt6gxjeQvaInMBGP7fjtkuylOAXhr2vWE_h7sXn7a16nT_pCMfbnklel7CORdXukkQI3LDJvPt-VpzhjqkvL5vZguU30nefBkk/s1600/Winter+2011+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzig0EDFcJg4dvMUFfDCeUImno1Ms_Fj40MKH9RiBY7Zt6gxjeQvaInMBGP7fjtkuylOAXhr2vWE_h7sXn7a16nT_pCMfbnklel7CORdXukkQI3LDJvPt-VpzhjqkvL5vZguU30nefBkk/s400/Winter+2011+010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBgB8wUGdfF6tmlXQWsfrU54PCuzH3QP49LPZB2jw4VlmPYyv3NYSAZ8kuO-LiaPSVB3nukAlbh4qy0rEOZ-iQ4eDqJ1P9vkmV78OeIHFY-ny4SuZE6VLQnaOylaaYJMjizTF-rTzi6kS/s1600/Winter+2011+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBgB8wUGdfF6tmlXQWsfrU54PCuzH3QP49LPZB2jw4VlmPYyv3NYSAZ8kuO-LiaPSVB3nukAlbh4qy0rEOZ-iQ4eDqJ1P9vkmV78OeIHFY-ny4SuZE6VLQnaOylaaYJMjizTF-rTzi6kS/s400/Winter+2011+011.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9uqf2cs0htWGMypZJzd8OIV_XjiGxNyrL4GLWxdXT7JNqTGh20fNB-DQF9nRCu9YMUntV_lARtjZPWEAcvB6zXCy_hCkYplXykFvL953pMIs8zsNW92n2Q3-PRhTcUSm7ZD4aI3mTD2G/s1600/Winter+2011+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9uqf2cs0htWGMypZJzd8OIV_XjiGxNyrL4GLWxdXT7JNqTGh20fNB-DQF9nRCu9YMUntV_lARtjZPWEAcvB6zXCy_hCkYplXykFvL953pMIs8zsNW92n2Q3-PRhTcUSm7ZD4aI3mTD2G/s400/Winter+2011+009.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
I didn't have enough snowflake paper to do this frame too, but I think the print I already had in it goes well. It is also sort of valentines-y. It reads "you are the one I want most of all".<br />
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Again, I left my poinsettias up. I didn't feel like changing them, and I can't think of a "more winter" flower. I added the candle holders this weeks since I have been snowed in and bored. I made them using Epsom salts and mod poge. I got the idea from <a href="http://www.allthingsheartandhome.com/2011/01/02/epsom-salt-for-winter-decorating/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+allthings+(All+Things+Heart+and+Home)">this </a>tutorial. I did two coats of epsom salts to make it seem more snowy. here is a close up:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkG8w-NmtYtxf7M_Imzkybgs6podfpBPUUgMmO1IThpfoQIcgabCKPV3ZXIjSQ9intZ-RpjiK2P57c-ch0vbJE3_1MMTvaexGJx-W2o-rHT8N-qvV1_kw503HrJuZr3sEczYlFFhdotoV/s1600/Winter+2011+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkG8w-NmtYtxf7M_Imzkybgs6podfpBPUUgMmO1IThpfoQIcgabCKPV3ZXIjSQ9intZ-RpjiK2P57c-ch0vbJE3_1MMTvaexGJx-W2o-rHT8N-qvV1_kw503HrJuZr3sEczYlFFhdotoV/s320/Winter+2011+007.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=73aa0be2-4343-43ac-b9cd-fde074a33375" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-88630663434556537422011-02-03T09:21:00.000-08:002011-02-03T09:31:15.532-08:00Ok, so I skipped the month of January...January is a busy month! Apparently so busy that I can't even find time to blog.<br />
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After Christmas break we hit the ground running with the spring musical! We had auditions and immediately start rehearsals. It seems I kinda fall of the face of the universe during January and February. I think I am much more tired being an [assistant] director than I ever was as a cast member - and I'm not the one dancing for 2 hours a night!<br />
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I did have a list of things to blog about - but my computer died with all of my pictures. I did back them up so they are on a hard-drive.... somewhere. But really, who wants to hear about Christmas posts and whatnot in February? I'll answer that - nobody! Rest assured we had a wonderful Christmas with both sides of our family.<br />
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I will touch briefly on a few goals for 2011. Because I read somewhere that you have a higher chance of <i>not </i>quitting your resolutions if you make it through till February.Personally, I feel that I have a higher chance of not quitting my resolution if I start in February.<br />
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In no particular order:<br />
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1. Blog more. I want to make an effort to post more. Even if it's quick, or without pictures or not "blog worthy".<br />
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2. Learn to knit.<br />
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3. Sew something for our house. I have a sewing machine that I bought for my birthday nearly two years ago. I've sewn one very unsuccessful dog coat. Which, looking back, was an insanely ambitious project for someone who never finished sewing her bunny in 6th grade sewing class - and whose only truly successful sewing projects include a pillow made with the help of her mother to earn a girl scout badge.<br />
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4. Start a vegetable garden. I missed out on gardening last year, but I am already thinking about my garden for this year. I hope to grow summer squash, zucchini, potatoes and anything else I think I can manage.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-44037247262953536272010-12-22T22:25:00.000-08:002010-12-22T22:55:25.901-08:00deck the halls!I was so excited to decorate for our first Christmas in our new house. Last year we didn't really get to put up Christmas lights because, much to our dismay, we did not have an outdoor electrical outlet. Luckily, our new house does have electrical outlets outside - but they are both on the back porch! It took getting creative with extension cords, but Todd made it work!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Christmas tree in all its glory! I have almost all of our present wrapped.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">NYC Christmas ornament, from our trip (and when Todd proposed!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our "first Christmas" ornament. Can you believe we've been married for two years?! Todd and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary December 20th! It has been a wonderful first two years of marriage. I am so lucky to have married the love of my life!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More decorations inside:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">can you spot the leftover wedding decor in this photo??</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ep55DGyXVwdw4-Cvw9CvWnhFLlZiiVsDFZ-3iOP5qpPEkb07eaEO0GhR6VpUzRADk2xQe8s6vbUqc22wN0w42UMmjwhfb_mDr-AyGO5E21y_WnXbhUrJe_ojyfyF2nsW4ORCItuDkO5r/s1600/P1010871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ep55DGyXVwdw4-Cvw9CvWnhFLlZiiVsDFZ-3iOP5qpPEkb07eaEO0GhR6VpUzRADk2xQe8s6vbUqc22wN0w42UMmjwhfb_mDr-AyGO5E21y_WnXbhUrJe_ojyfyF2nsW4ORCItuDkO5r/s400/P1010871.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The fireplace, one of my favorite things about our house. I just switched out the fall flowers and put in red and green poinsettias. Then I wrapped the two bird pictures. The stocking are new! We didn't have anywhere to put stockings in our old place.</div><br />
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</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-56040870764204044252010-12-01T20:05:00.000-08:002010-12-01T21:11:28.711-08:00ThanksgivingTodd and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with both sides of our family. On Thanksgiving day we went to my parents house. I am very lucky to live near most of my family and to see them often, but it is still special to gather with them on the holidays. Nick, Benay and baby Calvin we able to be with us this Thanksgiving, which made it extra special since we are all so thankful that Calvin is doing well. Uncle David also came up from Texas. All totaled we had Mom, Dad, Nick, Benay, Calvin, Meghan, Mimi, Papa, David, Me, Todd, Mommer, my dad's friend Albert, and my dad's friend Bob. I think 14 is a pretty full house! We had turkey with all the usual fixins. This year I made green bean casserole with fresh green beans, a little cheese and almond slivers for extra crunch. I found the recipe last year but couldn't find where I bookmarked it so I just winged it. Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Here are some pictures I stole from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fossdboss/">Nick and Benay's Flickr page</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1cZw2_NOQydAPg4ZxR8ZLN6xJ1aPplyF5lfuvaAPmsOoiS51-RlWwwcJakWswG-6ZIC1EHD3JIWX9zDOJ2TbKdYUycLWTNsOFbVgrqs427y53oAgdVwqlyx5yI_LmobceB9bdmj21w3s/s1600/t+day+calvin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1cZw2_NOQydAPg4ZxR8ZLN6xJ1aPplyF5lfuvaAPmsOoiS51-RlWwwcJakWswG-6ZIC1EHD3JIWX9zDOJ2TbKdYUycLWTNsOFbVgrqs427y53oAgdVwqlyx5yI_LmobceB9bdmj21w3s/s400/t+day+calvin.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The next day Todd and I woke up early, not to go shopping (that'd be crazy!) but to drive down to Texas to visit Todd's Grandmother and see his side of the family. We stayed at Grandma June's and got to visit with Chad, Grace and Hailey. Then later that evening we went over to the Uncle Tim and Aunt Vickie's to meet Brian and Melissa's new baby Emma Kate and see the rest of the Loftin Family!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are some pictures I stole from Jody's album (I need to remember to use my camera, but these people with their fancy smancy cameras make me not want to even get mine out!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What a wonderful holiday!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-46140748731990014892010-11-13T10:05:00.001-08:002010-11-13T10:05:21.743-08:00Curtains! Finally!In our living room we have two windows that flank our fireplace. I love the view they give us of the backyard but still felt that they needed a little window dressing - especially before I finally decorated the mantel. It seemed very blah and blank over on that side of the room. I had been looking for months for the perfect set of drapes or even some material that I wanted to make curtains out of. Todd has seen enough fabric swatches and curtain samples for a lifetime. On more that one occasion I have bought curtains, tried them out, decided I hated them and had to return them.<br />
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You know the curtains I used in the dining room? Yep, they were originally living room curtain rejects. I thought the green in the curtain would match the green on the wall. But it didn't. Sometimes, that's what you get for shopping online.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Don't worry, we've replaced that curtain rod by now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[Do you want to know a secret about those fancy wood blinds? I thought so. I got them at a garage sale for $5! I found out later why they were so cheap, they were miss-marked and are too short. That is as far down as they go. Turns out it's ok with me because the cat requires that we leave him a place to sit on the sill anyway They are the perfect cat height.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was on a mission to find the right set of gold/green curtains. Because my living room is green, my dining room and hallway are yellow/gold and <s>I'm not that creative</s> I thought it would tie them together. But after Todd and I found these new pieces of art to put on either side of our TV stand...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I began thinking.....Maybe the curtains don't have to be gold. I know many of you realized this long before. I too realized it, but I basically only like the colors green and purple so anything else is a stretch already.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then one day, walking through Target, I stopped in the curtain section yet again. But this time I found them. The curtains I have been searching for. I swear I heard angels rejoicing. Todd rejoiced. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here they are in all their glory:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisg3tU25_9XMYDVOP3I3z5Y0r9TxgqyMcQ-qL3tMouZIDVnUS0ddgNE_B-lV9jjRnPZShKOK3k7wyoyUFKSCVTagpYkt51-_O3chTkZNhsIsHeih1Q7POh_ATs_wDrAWNRobmsuJSJH563/s1600/P1010700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisg3tU25_9XMYDVOP3I3z5Y0r9TxgqyMcQ-qL3tMouZIDVnUS0ddgNE_B-lV9jjRnPZShKOK3k7wyoyUFKSCVTagpYkt51-_O3chTkZNhsIsHeih1Q7POh_ATs_wDrAWNRobmsuJSJH563/s400/P1010700.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">These still have the gold and green touches but the major color is a pretty red</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=162a1a89-33d9-4c27-a407-619ba793de05" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-46938984793898063292010-11-07T13:50:00.000-08:002010-11-07T13:50:34.556-08:00Pumpkin Carving, Parade and Trunk or Treat - Halloween EventsThis year we celebrated Halloween by carving pumpkins with Nick, Benay and Calvin. Then we headed downtown to watch the Ghouls Gone Wild Parade! This was my first time to attend the parade and I am so glad Nick and Benay suggested it, we had a lot of fun!<br />
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Our second Halloween celebration took place at church. We had our annual fall carnival, but this year we added something new - Trunk or Treat! I think truck or treat is a relatively new thing, but it seems to be catching on because more and more churches and communities are hosting them. For those of you who are new to the idea, families decorate the trunks of their car with a theme. We got to pick our own theme, but it was suggested that it not be too scary since there are a lot of little ones who come to this event. Since Todd was out of town and I'd be doing this solo, I decided on a Pumpkin Patch theme. I gathered up all of my pumpkins from around the house and all of the pumpkins from my friend Kalei's and piled them in the trunk of my car! I also bought some pumpkin fabric on sale at Hobby Lobby and a pumpkin patch sign I found at the dollar tree. It turned out pretty cute! You usually dress up to match the theme of your car and then sit next to your trunk and pass out candy as the kids say "trunk or treat!"<br />
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Below are some pictures of both events:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Not so great picture of Nick and Todd, but hey, at least Benay looks like she's enjoying herself!</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hard at work carving pumpkins</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cute Calvin watching the pumpkin carving</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Waiting on the parade to start!</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Calvin's first parade! Looks like he's ready to join the march of the flaming skeletons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The march of 1,000 flaming skeletons! It makes for a pretty impressive sight.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Wayne Coyne and his famous bubble for the parade finale</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>TRUNK OR TREAT PICTURES</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=a2f8c602-fd8e-42f8-ada8-475bad46deb6" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-54085871497231507022010-11-05T16:29:00.000-07:002010-11-05T16:30:37.529-07:00Fall touchesI am not a big fan of Halloween decorations, but I love fall colors and pumpkins! I don't have an extensive collection of fall decorations but I hope to add to it a little every year. This year I added a few more mini pumpkins, the fall "urns" I showed you in the last post and some flowers for outside.<br />
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Here are some pictures:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">A touch of fall with the weil ware</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">My $1 thrift store find</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">bookshelf with fall touches</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My attempt at growing pumpkins, this picture was taken a while ago, but there are still no pumpkins :(</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm hoping that there will be some sort of pumpkin before Thanksgiving!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fall porch</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Fall wreath - I got this on sale last year and added some more leaves to fill it out</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Trying my hand at flower arranging</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=9e05d24c-7fca-4c70-bc92-17e205fe1301" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-34746245525319423242010-10-21T15:58:00.000-07:002010-10-22T14:42:41.206-07:00Mantel MakeoverAs I mentioned before, our mantel had been untouched since we moved in. I have scoured all of our local home decor stores and the internet for ideas and inspiration. Finally while perusing a local thrift store, something caught my eye! It was a decorative urn type thing and I thought...I could do something with that.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I failed to take a before picture but thanks to the magic of the internet, here are some examples of what they looked like before:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-O6EDFBSEfMruMHvw8ciclD1aSJKYvLUZWqKn-3u3QDUiktNAIWm_pAqxOiPk03ZtN4LZJUOg9EIdwpC9N9Cm0qXyS9vX1Vrbt86sb9cjMW8qfGCtZ7JAIC-yODZUCkFjh4i6rq3PCPv/s1600/urn+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-O6EDFBSEfMruMHvw8ciclD1aSJKYvLUZWqKn-3u3QDUiktNAIWm_pAqxOiPk03ZtN4LZJUOg9EIdwpC9N9Cm0qXyS9vX1Vrbt86sb9cjMW8qfGCtZ7JAIC-yODZUCkFjh4i6rq3PCPv/s320/urn+1.JPG" width="318" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0zBYqOa1PLwE6bZalE64rYyI-Vzx49p2iIsQRiNRcF1H7SWcHUg_sDDQ-HA7HqiVwyZNPX7P8JTILq7bFCRDAglW1guNovU-U7jhiEy8hJCnlBAZWKkwYrEy86Oc3vT1UEy0XkVvvQVm/s1600/urn+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0zBYqOa1PLwE6bZalE64rYyI-Vzx49p2iIsQRiNRcF1H7SWcHUg_sDDQ-HA7HqiVwyZNPX7P8JTILq7bFCRDAglW1guNovU-U7jhiEy8hJCnlBAZWKkwYrEy86Oc3vT1UEy0XkVvvQVm/s320/urn+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Although I do love the color green, I wasn't sure that this assortment would go with my Green Tea colored walls in the living room. So I decided to spay paint them all a matching color. I chose to use a mix of <a href="http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=180&sid=247567">RustOleum's </a>universal spray paint in copper and brown, both with a hammered finish.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Here is how they turned out!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDCYMBRJiJZa2B1H2nfdTgOXcgEuRWxQc9jL6at4KRNkDS9ymFeIbluwOjNnx865TY29f7fcg6yTPuBq7pQKMrfwyvzKTONR-KDyEmNNivFJbBNswR_NtDsrgF8chFjeDsuX8dtHKrljr/s1600/P1010596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDCYMBRJiJZa2B1H2nfdTgOXcgEuRWxQc9jL6at4KRNkDS9ymFeIbluwOjNnx865TY29f7fcg6yTPuBq7pQKMrfwyvzKTONR-KDyEmNNivFJbBNswR_NtDsrgF8chFjeDsuX8dtHKrljr/s400/P1010596.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The hammered finish didn't really come through. I realized (after the third one I did) that I should have held the spray can much closer and laid it one much thicker to have a more hammered look. But I was more focused on the color that the hammered effect I so I just went with it as is. The one on the left I sprayed the copper all over and then dusted it with the brown. The one on the right I did just the opposite with brown as the base color and then went over it lightly with the copper.<br />
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The next step was to make it fit for fall. I found a bundle of fall flowers and leaves on rollback at Walmart. Using floral foam and some wire cutters, I went to work. Here is the added fall color:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoAQVeHbHfm7_nJbQSFWLho8Mqq-CyZkEVgrTTUEqv5lAWajbSZg2XqOzAcZ3BR6qQ66hpfFz5ApPb5Gl2eshffPtGBpIYhgLRMTp-SW8tgJ4bY-zRuifxKn784TANwuQrPQaa8dQsx6f/s1600/P1010597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoAQVeHbHfm7_nJbQSFWLho8Mqq-CyZkEVgrTTUEqv5lAWajbSZg2XqOzAcZ3BR6qQ66hpfFz5ApPb5Gl2eshffPtGBpIYhgLRMTp-SW8tgJ4bY-zRuifxKn784TANwuQrPQaa8dQsx6f/s400/P1010597.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The final look puts these together with the canvas photo, some extra pumpkins from the dollar store and two pictures we found on clearance at Target.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsPZxlBz-PTYiLHivhb44K3rLHy-vGMH-zIcjPthkIsxT1yCy1vx7pycb88k1kHKk_U_Lss38odUvi8Gz-Lss7F53SL0ZSTvQDNIDR-qN3VnLfNLjyS-3u0iS3mB32-oOTT0jkeSr1Ko8/s1600/P1010570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsPZxlBz-PTYiLHivhb44K3rLHy-vGMH-zIcjPthkIsxT1yCy1vx7pycb88k1kHKk_U_Lss38odUvi8Gz-Lss7F53SL0ZSTvQDNIDR-qN3VnLfNLjyS-3u0iS3mB32-oOTT0jkeSr1Ko8/s400/P1010570.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">with mood lighting:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAIn-fhnLaPcb-rzNcT8Qscb2DPYowFEaGc9MCUivD0tHkppdkEJuFKWClRC937CdTAU82fpaN7-V6SjB2wn2ncppZpPA7Ukmgz6uzyuLv8HvIDgJ4YrwRx4ddX8L25twmdSJ-KaxcmtG/s1600/P1010569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAIn-fhnLaPcb-rzNcT8Qscb2DPYowFEaGc9MCUivD0tHkppdkEJuFKWClRC937CdTAU82fpaN7-V6SjB2wn2ncppZpPA7Ukmgz6uzyuLv8HvIDgJ4YrwRx4ddX8L25twmdSJ-KaxcmtG/s400/P1010569.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Linked to:<br />
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<center><a href="http://sawdustandpaperscraps.com/" target="blank"><img src=" http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae359/sawdustandpaperscraps/2-1-1.jpg " /></a></center></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=5239ae62-3251-4b34-bba4-700c213fe663" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-73937445372883485512010-10-18T20:21:00.000-07:002010-10-19T14:30:10.251-07:00Modern Bird style art on the cheepdid you see what I did there? cheep/cheap. ok good.<br />
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[insert long apology/explanation about how I'm a horrible blogger and almost killed my blog but you shouldn't worry because I'm back (with a vengeance).]<br />
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Since we moved into our house in April, our mantel has plagued me. Don't get me wrong, having a fireplace/mantel is one of my favorite things about our house - I was just at a loss as to what to put up there. I kept wracking my brain/stalking Gordmans, Garden Ridge, Hobby Lobby and the like. In addition to stalking home stores, I was also stalking Apartment Therapy and happened to see <a href="http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/how-to-your-own-digital-art-126347">this</a> post about creating your own digital art. This seemed perfect for us since I was having a hard time finding artwork I liked in stores. I have also been wanting to add a picture of our family to the space, but since our family is really just Todd and I - I would feel a little silly with a giant photograph of us up on the mantel.<br />
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When reading the article, I fell in love with the style of Modern Bird Studios. But I did not fall in love with the price tag. So, after looking at their work, I thought I'd try my hand at something similar. So here is my take on a Modern Bird style picture.<br />
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Here is a picture from their website:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInEEkvAY1407KMC5aWWJi4lXwRLPvVokPhsgBw5WvDwd_3XWvRjwOrCFgqDMJBtJKtjFTcigkYRqy2R_h2RCG2guwgsnQs1VQ2b2YEp9eXZRcl2I_eEQVk75W6HIE2UXzYZhIGM79BaZH/s1600/modern+bird+sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInEEkvAY1407KMC5aWWJi4lXwRLPvVokPhsgBw5WvDwd_3XWvRjwOrCFgqDMJBtJKtjFTcigkYRqy2R_h2RCG2guwgsnQs1VQ2b2YEp9eXZRcl2I_eEQVk75W6HIE2UXzYZhIGM79BaZH/s1600/modern+bird+sample.jpg" /></a></div><br />
They offer other styles but the one I liked the best was high contrast - black with a saturated color<br />
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So I took one of our photos (the one I have at the top of my blog actually) and using Picassa changed the photo to black and white. Then I adjusted the contrast so that it was clearly only black and white NO GRAY.<br />
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Here is what I got:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_qm4lB4ccMti2KRf2mC7v3sgEetR5i-Pn1pvUljYFqfC_mfscY0x8ebTX89otjj75FOYgjChoX9uo4Q5MhL5Vj2xCwQ3xYPyIqvvqWJ_BeVQnSaNNXNcLI1cZdV80WdpiuC-G3g3QHNM/s1600/modern+bird+style+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_qm4lB4ccMti2KRf2mC7v3sgEetR5i-Pn1pvUljYFqfC_mfscY0x8ebTX89otjj75FOYgjChoX9uo4Q5MhL5Vj2xCwQ3xYPyIqvvqWJ_BeVQnSaNNXNcLI1cZdV80WdpiuC-G3g3QHNM/s400/modern+bird+style+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Then, still in Picassa, I used the tint option under the "effects" tab. When you tint your picture, you can choose any color of the rainbow. Since it was autumn, the brick on our fireplace has sort of a yellow tone and our walls are green, I chose to go with a warm orange color. Normally I would have gone for green, but I have to realize that not everything in my house can be green, brown, or yellow!<br />
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Here is what the picture looked like with the color added:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAmMUc3bnzxk_7w4nNp5fb8BaWqa3uz1lQ1tfyBMyBoyT1WlhpxahRqIF1aMsJqSa5QSEK7lfKEsKD06DL0liWa9hyphenhyphen2xBmlGwWcLMmV_psFqPi6bpSclD6vtjKqO1q9D5EedNanWleLFF/s1600/modern+bird+style+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAmMUc3bnzxk_7w4nNp5fb8BaWqa3uz1lQ1tfyBMyBoyT1WlhpxahRqIF1aMsJqSa5QSEK7lfKEsKD06DL0liWa9hyphenhyphen2xBmlGwWcLMmV_psFqPi6bpSclD6vtjKqO1q9D5EedNanWleLFF/s400/modern+bird+style+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I took a bit of a risk since I wasn't entirely sure what color it would print and went ahead and uploaded it to PictureFrames.com </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This site will allow you to upload your photos and prints them on canvas for you. I chose the gallery wrapped option, but you could also have them frame it. I know there are many other sites that offer similar services. But after looking a a few this seemed to be the best deal at the time and I am very pleased with the final product!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is a picture of the real deal!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoJsRxMNi2O9RRGLd4wfkg_WQo0SQHVbk59Pet8Va-5GneSexMG2gP6ZlcL8zadbBWjO0nOutXG0SiygKbP8LPBPJD8uumWYNSYBwqlOAWU74POV8IqYBFjawHnKy07eFR0Tu5qRyYatS/s1600/P1010572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoJsRxMNi2O9RRGLd4wfkg_WQo0SQHVbk59Pet8Va-5GneSexMG2gP6ZlcL8zadbBWjO0nOutXG0SiygKbP8LPBPJD8uumWYNSYBwqlOAWU74POV8IqYBFjawHnKy07eFR0Tu5qRyYatS/s400/P1010572.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>This is also a sneak peek at our finished fall mantel! I will post about our fall mantel and fall touches soon!Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-88334418978577458452010-08-14T17:13:00.001-07:002010-08-14T17:13:37.860-07:00it is too hot to even post anything!Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-43753272790875570302010-07-31T23:58:00.000-07:002010-08-02T01:25:39.289-07:00It's time to try defying gravityOne of the first rooms we worked on in our new house was Todd's study. I am always having trouble finding the perfect (or any) piece of art for the walls. Todd's study was no different. We had a few things to put on the walls, but also needed much more storage space for all of his books. I thought that those invisible floating book shelves [as seen <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Umbra-Conceal-Bookshelf-Large/dp/B000RGF1CY">here</a>] would be the perfect solution. I have always been sort of fascinated with them, but at $15 a pop, I thought - surely I can make something similar <s>on the cheap</s> because I'm so crafty.<br />
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</div><div>Turns out, I'm not the only one who had this thought. Although I did think of this and the use of materials on my own, I was happy to see others had been able to make these! I found <a href="http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-install-invisible-shelves">this video</a> somewhat helpful, and also somewhat stupid. I also made a few modifications to their technique.</div><div><br />
The first thing you do is gather a few sacrificial books. These are books that you don't care about cutting up (sacrilege, I know), but they must also be books that you won't mind having on your shelf. These books must also be pretty big. You also don't want to put scrawny or wimpy books. These will be the foundation for stacking your other awesome books.</div><div><br />
</div><div>In addition to your sacrificial books, you will need some L brackets. I used 5" L brackets. You will also need a box cutter, short screws with a flat head, some glue, some heavy books, and some longer screws to secure your shelf to the wall. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>step 1:</b> Open the back flap of the book, measure and mark the middle. From the middle trace the outline of your L bracket</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvhXDGyQEQSduf5avKcR8kygmwOKBhKFILuF2qwam3wXieuvFBdXq3_pPx3L7dvrvfkJ1S2D5gjuy7uPYEj9VDH6I2OfD547fjwvz0ewUhElTk0CDo-4DLz_oMQnXKNhfBv5HhOViEWQ5/s1600/P1010406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvhXDGyQEQSduf5avKcR8kygmwOKBhKFILuF2qwam3wXieuvFBdXq3_pPx3L7dvrvfkJ1S2D5gjuy7uPYEj9VDH6I2OfD547fjwvz0ewUhElTk0CDo-4DLz_oMQnXKNhfBv5HhOViEWQ5/s400/P1010406.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKz5e5s9EQQitRMUF5PK_W4k8ETHTqgWu6Dr6y3nkVT9RTmQ92UcvUZCW9lMbYKdaTgpzgJ3hs-JJBjqUyepYJ3GSVwUwGzLTQSia2hbHCSVWLCtmkz3Q8bStMgnkMauux-YiRktD7vf1/s1600/P1010407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKz5e5s9EQQitRMUF5PK_W4k8ETHTqgWu6Dr6y3nkVT9RTmQ92UcvUZCW9lMbYKdaTgpzgJ3hs-JJBjqUyepYJ3GSVwUwGzLTQSia2hbHCSVWLCtmkz3Q8bStMgnkMauux-YiRktD7vf1/s400/P1010407.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Step 2:<i> </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Using your box knife, cut out the outline you just made. You're cutting a groove to put you L bracket in. I found it helpful to cut it a little deeper so that your bracket is recessed within the book.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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</span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf_HMOL7QExC-6TOXA41kN1-DJOQLwD0GeVUbZSuIqzKgSJyj2Ew_1pxDToT52Wm5hGwXYKzZyEM8svt_HI7LUZ9O9cdZsG3PJSB4RaX7SmkMqIX7rlEpK0P0C2RsnFr7FKVdB-Nv1p9N/s1600/P1010408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf_HMOL7QExC-6TOXA41kN1-DJOQLwD0GeVUbZSuIqzKgSJyj2Ew_1pxDToT52Wm5hGwXYKzZyEM8svt_HI7LUZ9O9cdZsG3PJSB4RaX7SmkMqIX7rlEpK0P0C2RsnFr7FKVdB-Nv1p9N/s400/P1010408.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixERfuH7oXHG8tVZMwkDMOEf4GkE3sYqX0DTMwuqDYdxuqtzfLPUzH63EYUTjlzLBAsUuDbaBLknwEVPBGmZnDVtchbUjv8i0MrTSabiLqK0F0zUxM4HhrTyQRFaWBm8WtJjBTJV0NHDFz/s1600/P1010400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixERfuH7oXHG8tVZMwkDMOEf4GkE3sYqX0DTMwuqDYdxuqtzfLPUzH63EYUTjlzLBAsUuDbaBLknwEVPBGmZnDVtchbUjv8i0MrTSabiLqK0F0zUxM4HhrTyQRFaWBm8WtJjBTJV0NHDFz/s400/P1010400.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYd_HlDLHmJHY14QED9HEqW61ohp-dtaUmBr7rKBLwOZEmUwQT88VHD1zvEkUQLkARIKkM159qXBFcNuFlcgajUKWxi0Y-zC6_tpnFYIYbhqzjXD7SoS4kuaIOS4NWqtOlRSSGrSZ3b4V/s1600/P1010409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYd_HlDLHmJHY14QED9HEqW61ohp-dtaUmBr7rKBLwOZEmUwQT88VHD1zvEkUQLkARIKkM159qXBFcNuFlcgajUKWxi0Y-zC6_tpnFYIYbhqzjXD7SoS4kuaIOS4NWqtOlRSSGrSZ3b4V/s400/P1010409.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><div><b>Step 3:</b> Cut a notch in the front cover of the book for the L bracket to fit in. This way, the cover will close flush with the bracket.</div><div><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TFpZXF3NF8lZ8tOFq_DocYnc9tlJI6h7TBLsRXhtXMzb1-MrewWijHal-nOd2bGXtpDO4KQqyqibzyoVQLhNPAR0b-6mf1Nn8gUohlZxPikIJFV_ARvNN03-69n6OhVsA6Am7dq8qU07/s1600/P1010411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TFpZXF3NF8lZ8tOFq_DocYnc9tlJI6h7TBLsRXhtXMzb1-MrewWijHal-nOd2bGXtpDO4KQqyqibzyoVQLhNPAR0b-6mf1Nn8gUohlZxPikIJFV_ARvNN03-69n6OhVsA6Am7dq8qU07/s400/P1010411.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div><b>Step 4:</b> Secure your bracket to the book using the short screws. These don't have to go all the way through the book, just enough to secure the bracket in place.</div><div><b>Step 5:</b> Next, you secure the back pages with the short screws.<br />
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Note: this part is sort of tricky. The pages keep trying to push up against the screw and you have to push it down really hard. If you have weak arms/wrists that your family makes fun of you for - it might be easier to get your hunky husband to do this part.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI-ClrYBVLzWP9B_YcNFgpqhuiYhfvGnQszEeQesYMo4GIEdJhPg_kVXPTvRbHK_9gU0Fdz1yv1aqxkVhtJNhMlJfe0WwxfFwgtFzG_XMhtC9fq3ZgbCJjq3yozyOqiIidHQc0i31fMiE/s1600/P1010416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI-ClrYBVLzWP9B_YcNFgpqhuiYhfvGnQszEeQesYMo4GIEdJhPg_kVXPTvRbHK_9gU0Fdz1yv1aqxkVhtJNhMlJfe0WwxfFwgtFzG_XMhtC9fq3ZgbCJjq3yozyOqiIidHQc0i31fMiE/s400/P1010416.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Step 6:</b> Finally, glue the back flap closed. The video suggested Elmers glue, but turns out we don't have any glue. I did find some spray adhesive from our headboard project and decided to give it a try. It worked just great! To make sure it really sticks, stack some heavy books on top to smoosh it down.</div><div><br />
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Once the glue is dry, you can attach the book/bracket to the wall, and think about how smart and crafty you are!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnAsDW4HXfRbO7xZGzv1KAec9Gx5U5tSGo9dAD9iDI185Ge41mQztkxV3GWjgSt_r1BFY_z76t5n_hyphenhyphenZ3datcFrIg5rT8yskES7MLVRMiKpr8KfTVCQEKwUoapDkkTdqoLSnpIOmXaZwz/s1600/P1010424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnAsDW4HXfRbO7xZGzv1KAec9Gx5U5tSGo9dAD9iDI185Ge41mQztkxV3GWjgSt_r1BFY_z76t5n_hyphenhyphenZ3datcFrIg5rT8yskES7MLVRMiKpr8KfTVCQEKwUoapDkkTdqoLSnpIOmXaZwz/s400/P1010424.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Lastly, stack your favorite books up,<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAwEbO1bBKF_gZV2L7rVZpdHix8bNPSR6x4tUZxw1pjbeeG_j1HcCrwWkAgpWgzakz2oI7HzkFLxLL20qh38OkkBMygTazSuuYcS0BLSjVwkm5t1P8HSk3mi0fdQfzwKU4FEIz7x88j-q/s1600/P1010426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAwEbO1bBKF_gZV2L7rVZpdHix8bNPSR6x4tUZxw1pjbeeG_j1HcCrwWkAgpWgzakz2oI7HzkFLxLL20qh38OkkBMygTazSuuYcS0BLSjVwkm5t1P8HSk3mi0fdQfzwKU4FEIz7x88j-q/s400/P1010426.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Lastly, stack your favorite books up and admire your work!</div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=a915ba4f-2110-4a82-af83-be4e820d0760" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-57412504602514721462010-07-22T19:49:00.000-07:002010-07-23T11:54:48.228-07:00I don't think you're ready for this jellySorry about the title of this post. It was either that or "going plum crazy!" I thought the Beyonce reference was more adventurous.<br />
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Tuesday I got together with my wonderful Mimi and made jelly. Plum jelly to be exact. Red plum jelly to be exact-er.<br />
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It was really fun! I had seen a post one someone's blog a couple of weeks ago about making strawberry jelly, and had thought at the time that it would be fun to try making jelly sometime. About a week after I read that post, my grandmother (Mimi) asked if I'd like to try making some plum jelly with her.<br />
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It turned out to be quite simple and fun!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First, gather your supplies</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5b_LBiSadcqxyd0IOUxKxy9XHhFGUh-Ihpp4sao4aGwZo5-30vGFk_0nulBcInxtAHqZ-qKONpz9ePxewcT2O_G-ficNehl_ilrpaCpUM8DOP6a-10x2Q5_NQ1SADLQhPt3J6DhfxI-g/s1600/jelly+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5b_LBiSadcqxyd0IOUxKxy9XHhFGUh-Ihpp4sao4aGwZo5-30vGFk_0nulBcInxtAHqZ-qKONpz9ePxewcT2O_G-ficNehl_ilrpaCpUM8DOP6a-10x2Q5_NQ1SADLQhPt3J6DhfxI-g/s400/jelly+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>To make the jelly, you will need:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fruit. We used Red Plums, but you can use just about any fruit</div><div style="text-align: center;">a lot of sugar (about 6.5 cups!)</div><div style="text-align: center;">water</div><div style="text-align: center;">3 layers of cheesecloth</div><div style="text-align: center;">Pectin: we used Certo Jelly Pectin (this is the stuff that turns your sugar/fruit juice combination into actual jelly) ours was a thick liquid that came in a pouch, but the traditional pectin is powered. Either would do.</div><div style="text-align: center;">and a large heavy pot.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Once the jelly is made you will want to put it in jars, and seal them for freshness.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The making of the jelly:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The first thing you do is wash and chop up your fruit. Make sure you have the recommended weight of cut fruit. We needed 4 pounds of chopped fruit</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My sweet Mimi chopping up the plums!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0toDf4g-VS4pEEPkNPkRL1euO9jF9omyaL9_gyX0gJ8tm6x0m58023uQVt2sjjmGmEVFdNIJHeU2f-xEiZaSI_oeiRIjitS8brQwVnNkjxy2OgvUJCrhWU91eDYX4wsN0IAOaIlZBbiH3/s1600/jelly+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0toDf4g-VS4pEEPkNPkRL1euO9jF9omyaL9_gyX0gJ8tm6x0m58023uQVt2sjjmGmEVFdNIJHeU2f-xEiZaSI_oeiRIjitS8brQwVnNkjxy2OgvUJCrhWU91eDYX4wsN0IAOaIlZBbiH3/s400/jelly+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4U4BHL4EneZyoG0WJOFlkk1wQV7kcAobt_5aefaG9Ghz4uEmeujMyNKOXUbD5209xpBeVUdwXoPPgwxs2yRffX-21Irg39x6kEdUVqdl7e5tdctNULSAPgDUPils7yd4mzQZDESjPU4j/s1600/jelly+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4U4BHL4EneZyoG0WJOFlkk1wQV7kcAobt_5aefaG9Ghz4uEmeujMyNKOXUbD5209xpBeVUdwXoPPgwxs2yRffX-21Irg39x6kEdUVqdl7e5tdctNULSAPgDUPils7yd4mzQZDESjPU4j/s400/jelly+007.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Once you have measured your fruit to the exact amount needed, put it in your large, heavy pot.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Then you add the appropriate amount of water to your pot O' fruit. For ours it was 1 Cup (the pectin has directions which tells you how much you need for your specific fruit)</div><br />
Next, you bring your fruit and water mixture to a boil. Then cover and simmer for 10 minutes (tip! simmer longer!)<br />
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After you simmer your fruit and water comes the <s>gross</s> hard part. Straining the boiled fruit. Put your 3 layers of cheesecloth over a bowl and pour boiled fruit/water/mixture into the center of the cheesecloth. You are supposed to tie up the cheesecloth and let the fruit juices drip until they stop dripping. We shortly realized you don't really have to wait till the juices stop flowing, just until you have enough juice. We needed 4 cups, which came out very quickly thanks to our extra simmer time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZECWCtJirKizc8mfeCQWyr06vNPNFXgT98dQD77C19qJoZ5z3s0ZJbWx-FBJyQjXYZXwm8aNgzTtj6ltx-0s3moABoIswMVJjVz2xZYhEbbKZyLcn48Li4alp_cA5RYwLH4YDgreczvh/s1600/jelly+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZECWCtJirKizc8mfeCQWyr06vNPNFXgT98dQD77C19qJoZ5z3s0ZJbWx-FBJyQjXYZXwm8aNgzTtj6ltx-0s3moABoIswMVJjVz2xZYhEbbKZyLcn48Li4alp_cA5RYwLH4YDgreczvh/s400/jelly+011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Once you have your juice measured to the exact amount needed (for us, 4 cups), Put it back in your pot.<br />
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The next step is to add the sugar. Our plum jelly called for 6.5 cups of sugar. Add your sugar to the pot and let it dissolve, bring the sugar/juice mixture to a boil, making sure to stir the whole time. Our recipe called for the mixture to be at rolling boil. Which means that the bubbles don't stop when you stir it. (you experienced people out there probably already know that, but I didn't!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMz7nfpGZuHFdFHyXltO0ktUo5FIbRpSGCKxOc_PRdycH6SgqTquXpS7YfuShmPobzizFDHLi5UHZXU9Uu2JSI_wHNeOW-lmjfg9_qCAtj8LV8DU4ePSSHokL2PhxNg-0MW_hN0B_INMn/s1600/jelly+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMz7nfpGZuHFdFHyXltO0ktUo5FIbRpSGCKxOc_PRdycH6SgqTquXpS7YfuShmPobzizFDHLi5UHZXU9Uu2JSI_wHNeOW-lmjfg9_qCAtj8LV8DU4ePSSHokL2PhxNg-0MW_hN0B_INMn/s400/jelly+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Once the sugar/juice mixture is at a rolling boil, add the pectin and boil for 1 minute. Tip: They lie! Boil it longer! Our second batch we boiled for a about 3 minutes and it set up much nicer.<br />
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Once you've boiled it, ladle it into the jars and seal it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiso27RsEOtysiPdUs11GEKGTHFDe4DAzR_jBVvf3ncEquX-bRxyoc8GIrmdHH-BJQVgeupKk_dU7Mc3wiUzeYYs2eiFSuPEenxvON2LFCNLZJA_NhqbAkIXG61pkkNUs3VMoDcXBrx2L3i/s1600/jelly+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiso27RsEOtysiPdUs11GEKGTHFDe4DAzR_jBVvf3ncEquX-bRxyoc8GIrmdHH-BJQVgeupKk_dU7Mc3wiUzeYYs2eiFSuPEenxvON2LFCNLZJA_NhqbAkIXG61pkkNUs3VMoDcXBrx2L3i/s400/jelly+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">wipe off the rim.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVaSk8AHqUL2rlDSDNpxCgByJoeaiS7HX3jG_Y5wwYxPxJIRNHacmnIzxfJ0jZYvsVavEFGfBaL7yfCwS-c7Jh__isaWwGFmRbjOwavuKPeYJHIt1QAP6mSjcbSSBfNHaLPjWXz5H4_ZE/s1600/jelly+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVaSk8AHqUL2rlDSDNpxCgByJoeaiS7HX3jG_Y5wwYxPxJIRNHacmnIzxfJ0jZYvsVavEFGfBaL7yfCwS-c7Jh__isaWwGFmRbjOwavuKPeYJHIt1QAP6mSjcbSSBfNHaLPjWXz5H4_ZE/s400/jelly+015.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">and seal it nice and tight.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5FNHxAdP7xvTNAVbn-Z35YEoL0OXMxtjuwNxhczSqxPo5sefYAZVZgLCTSRJr7QKXbgHmChVRR5p27iAhc6gEJO2bnaM6seSsAcEN3f4N6c_GmgyHD1kPqfPeGuK3TGaiKRN8cF-_Ssr/s1600/jelly+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5FNHxAdP7xvTNAVbn-Z35YEoL0OXMxtjuwNxhczSqxPo5sefYAZVZgLCTSRJr7QKXbgHmChVRR5p27iAhc6gEJO2bnaM6seSsAcEN3f4N6c_GmgyHD1kPqfPeGuK3TGaiKRN8cF-_Ssr/s400/jelly+017.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div>If your jelly doesn't set up right away, do not fear! The package said it would need at least 24 hours. I also read that it is not uncommon for it to take up to 2 weeks or even a month to set up. Our second batch was ready later that day and the first batch is almost set up. If it never sets up, there are still ways to fix it! <br />
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Thanks Mimi! I had a wonderful time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ugdrwWhk-FUuIavRLBEpbLyVE26q_X5oXrCfzjQxIRFd-V9carE8w_3Sc1pC3xQ-o0lkWslso7-UPtqZhR3bT6dX2gZCtWRqvCSu_-vKbLmg5ndsmDpGosCMXAEgfhDXhNxTbpDDOsfw/s1600/jelly+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ugdrwWhk-FUuIavRLBEpbLyVE26q_X5oXrCfzjQxIRFd-V9carE8w_3Sc1pC3xQ-o0lkWslso7-UPtqZhR3bT6dX2gZCtWRqvCSu_-vKbLmg5ndsmDpGosCMXAEgfhDXhNxTbpDDOsfw/s400/jelly+018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=2ddf3e4f-de86-441c-ab77-aa46ad076069" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-58115292444068623402010-07-20T08:28:00.000-07:002010-07-20T08:28:43.565-07:00Pool!!Right before we left on our trip to Texas, a very important (to me) package came to our home. It was our POOL! When we first moved in, our previous owners left their kid's playground in our backyard. So I put it up on craigslist! Someone paid us to take it down and haul it away (that's right. paid us!) So with the extra money and space we (I) decided that we should get a pool! We wanted a small one that was just big enough to float in and cool off.<br />
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</div><div>I was so happy that our pool came in, but with leaving the next day, we decided to wait till we got back to put it up. Then when we got back it rained, and rained, and rained FOREVER! Once it finally stopped raining, we put the pool up, and I've been enjoying it ever since!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I use it for an hour or two each day. I'm even getting a little bit of a tan (not that anyone could tell! I still look pasty!)</div><div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">It is twelve feet in diameter and 36" deep</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3v_UeWiQsFbYAv2-Os2iySZaFK7YHiHnKIisuNpMG8-ryCh_w7hTZxYyp_eYkZ_m4KIaKOoZIUs5UF9RV2BQ6QzdFBM4z_YhcUDkVtFirGUuSAipqI7K1Sl7em-xjT6kjV1h54xAYvL1/s1600/pool+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3v_UeWiQsFbYAv2-Os2iySZaFK7YHiHnKIisuNpMG8-ryCh_w7hTZxYyp_eYkZ_m4KIaKOoZIUs5UF9RV2BQ6QzdFBM4z_YhcUDkVtFirGUuSAipqI7K1Sl7em-xjT6kjV1h54xAYvL1/s400/pool+1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also got a solar cover for it which works surprisingly well. The older I get, the less tolerant of freezing water I am. I could have joined the polar bear club when I was little, but no more!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is a pic of me floating!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_34BBWKmy_wFXSCn0b0pp2w_2q1rjX3tT0Ae6pZa2P5dkOPE0-T2z4Ma7CA1fTI9GQzOjX0YTx_VOjWV_w8Db_MQQRRxy5c_4x2ppIfuweURHpsgIsM9E6znJlUbSuxnQ_SHbnolDo6ll/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_34BBWKmy_wFXSCn0b0pp2w_2q1rjX3tT0Ae6pZa2P5dkOPE0-T2z4Ma7CA1fTI9GQzOjX0YTx_VOjWV_w8Db_MQQRRxy5c_4x2ppIfuweURHpsgIsM9E6znJlUbSuxnQ_SHbnolDo6ll/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=840d15a1-b29e-4a50-93d6-b7f8efe9ecf4" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-54968598866762360772010-07-17T09:30:00.000-07:002010-07-17T09:30:33.789-07:00happy birthday Todd!Happy birthday to my wonderful husband who hates birthdays. (well his birthday, all others are ok, I guess)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">birthday card I would have gotten you #1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQAsZMshSluWrVTPaIOi6Xya5hGkYeuBLmW2Ht7VphrO4hXkpI5bjFGj_IS-tDuIcA3eOSbNCkY33_Iu5IjPKhYreuW6vJlCjt52uPaBvcc0445VC2QdDJaLnvaLacF6DUaTO156uZC0X/s1600/happy+birthday+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQAsZMshSluWrVTPaIOi6Xya5hGkYeuBLmW2Ht7VphrO4hXkpI5bjFGj_IS-tDuIcA3eOSbNCkY33_Iu5IjPKhYreuW6vJlCjt52uPaBvcc0445VC2QdDJaLnvaLacF6DUaTO156uZC0X/s400/happy+birthday+2.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Birthday card I would have gotten you #2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyZm09fnjWXPM4RbarXNlwY2-BSvtt7h7epWUueEETpQSiyxKuOKJdZDHkWLY84ZsI4E3vg61QalAaQGkcwANJlr1W0eH8kFiqGpPuSlN_FJI0ZERFuWEnPEkZvqW0aCK7grt-OwCH6NA/s1600/happy+birthday+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyZm09fnjWXPM4RbarXNlwY2-BSvtt7h7epWUueEETpQSiyxKuOKJdZDHkWLY84ZsI4E3vg61QalAaQGkcwANJlr1W0eH8kFiqGpPuSlN_FJI0ZERFuWEnPEkZvqW0aCK7grt-OwCH6NA/s400/happy+birthday+1.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Birthday card I would have gotten you #3</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, this one is really sappy, and talks about how much I love you. And how I'm glad you were born so when we grew up, I could love you. But I won't post that here, don't worry.</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-81198001390940372282010-07-12T10:03:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:09:55.152-07:00Adventures in travel!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTwTSeGFX1-eLZAQgm_CtahXynJ2_O6PKA_10zM4W9-omM-8EDsuPpXKzNZTesk0-f6wavEGMzp0pzsb39UTy5-NYgLjO8ls4a_4oxJZ-ui_UnHg3eXXhggHU2xF9PDSRteLD8Ql2cbCz/s1600/P1010338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last week (can I still say last week when it's almost two weeks ago?) Todd and I traveled to Texas for his Grandma June's 80th birthday celebration/Forsythe reunion. The celebration was a great success! It is so nice to see everyone get together! Here is a picture of the whole gang.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNG7ExHdTpCzF2XyQ_jg6ZOzPnCBtvY5awZ-dAvs4dq8vJioennkVSB4LQ9HYLYEuzzvo6Rci2UICKiu-m_3pi_HhcZd5tbvDAYUG8yVhAXPttd-5p4ZKeJ3OjpE7dN_lu7aATQF43aW4/s1600/grandma+june+bday+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNG7ExHdTpCzF2XyQ_jg6ZOzPnCBtvY5awZ-dAvs4dq8vJioennkVSB4LQ9HYLYEuzzvo6Rci2UICKiu-m_3pi_HhcZd5tbvDAYUG8yVhAXPttd-5p4ZKeJ3OjpE7dN_lu7aATQF43aW4/s400/grandma+june+bday+1.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12euXx6Pjuz5kcXKU0OqTj6lU-Rhu0tJCb0ocZOQHgRpICOd9XinmLu5xOWxP96bVFZxB9NM0Ihiup_BToGzrztRd0coN8JulrR5W9uaJwEU6iWYeGc9ctFecE9wnf3eZbGBWvFr9kTKW/s1600/grandma+june+bday+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After the reunion, Todd and I continued south to Galveston for a couple of days. This was my first trip to Galveston and my first time to swim in the Gulf of Mexico! Don't worry, there were no tar balls to be found. One man we met did say that many of the BP ships were coming into Galveston to be serviced and would drag along a little bit of oil with their boats. But none from the spill itself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It rained a lot while we were there but we did manage to swim in the ocean both days. I was amazed at how warm the water was. I have always heard that it is warm, but the only ocean swimming experience I've had was in Carmel and Cancun - and in both, the ocean can be quite chilly, so I wasn't counting on it actually being WARM. The water temperature both days was around 87 degrees, even after the rain!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We mostly slept in, swam in the ocean, looked at all the little shops on The Strand, went to the aquarium, and played a lot of mini golf!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here are some pictures:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All the cute little shops on the Strand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I got a new summer bag and some cute beaded sandals which I LOVE.</span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVzsdYRvMwrevbqwcNHSbrHpOAN8YRH4gE-xkGRcBMP7pUHr1tNWg1rdFanzNtkdh7QyWVFgt8KKLRxcCBXmO1CIQO3Pz_MvbbfxS1RUTd9y1VV1fa4pz5r5-LVsxcMUJSvI6B4381gCk/s1600/P1010319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVzsdYRvMwrevbqwcNHSbrHpOAN8YRH4gE-xkGRcBMP7pUHr1tNWg1rdFanzNtkdh7QyWVFgt8KKLRxcCBXmO1CIQO3Pz_MvbbfxS1RUTd9y1VV1fa4pz5r5-LVsxcMUJSvI6B4381gCk/s400/P1010319.JPG" width="300" /></span></span></span></a></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVaxlHu1f6BEkAUe0GOW3IieBYj-Sj4BSc_snY-oQXMxX1O0UoccD1OYX9GR-bJFA4P723RfBNTRWN20U7qK5ucR4qG072H0v_MpgJCtY5NHWNezYpkVWHzQ7hfV578uR93WBxCQB8vZ-d/s1600/P1010320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVaxlHu1f6BEkAUe0GOW3IieBYj-Sj4BSc_snY-oQXMxX1O0UoccD1OYX9GR-bJFA4P723RfBNTRWN20U7qK5ucR4qG072H0v_MpgJCtY5NHWNezYpkVWHzQ7hfV578uR93WBxCQB8vZ-d/s400/P1010320.JPG" width="300" /></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Moody Gardens. we were not that impressed overall - but we did really enjoy their aquarium.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8XX98shU5xnGv41JZv9WCGhRxTR-ZGQLGG2EQx0JIS0xejdemfCPdLeFrzd4rH_O9-a4wrIop1l4jYO470M2K_rc_sB3BDx-u5E7MoPmtiJyO7d2BZ2-mNonr6V4jeyiV9QLXKyjOHPr/s1600/P1010327.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmfdKuzbI3rBsloeV-ihvhvAjP3Tf76EG8U5CKWDBSsH8OnodycOF1vepFadh5FgIVtNaW_l0_b0cznLZrJMzzBuSytqIzxg9WzhqcylbvlzXfdHe0TSr5mtgR67VyTiwMl29f-Eg6o69/s1600/P1010327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmfdKuzbI3rBsloeV-ihvhvAjP3Tf76EG8U5CKWDBSsH8OnodycOF1vepFadh5FgIVtNaW_l0_b0cznLZrJMzzBuSytqIzxg9WzhqcylbvlzXfdHe0TSr5mtgR67VyTiwMl29f-Eg6o69/s400/P1010327.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTwTSeGFX1-eLZAQgm_CtahXynJ2_O6PKA_10zM4W9-omM-8EDsuPpXKzNZTesk0-f6wavEGMzp0pzsb39UTy5-NYgLjO8ls4a_4oxJZ-ui_UnHg3eXXhggHU2xF9PDSRteLD8Ql2cbCz/s1600/P1010338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTwTSeGFX1-eLZAQgm_CtahXynJ2_O6PKA_10zM4W9-omM-8EDsuPpXKzNZTesk0-f6wavEGMzp0pzsb39UTy5-NYgLjO8ls4a_4oxJZ-ui_UnHg3eXXhggHU2xF9PDSRteLD8Ql2cbCz/s400/P1010338.JPG" width="300" /></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GSUdp49MyTYchIm1WMMPddmfGkyOIHKdHtGUJGAdxb_cZMrRK_UoW2VQQktPVTtdGZhxUoVZuSHvOVg8SuQ0OroBfjon21Cz5Ai_c5W6vv4oOQl62YV5oaQ-DVk9TMEW1bktXxS7oB6d/s1600/P1010338.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Todd and I in the shark cage<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhQTHHJ6d0VZIGIT3BcBXPb5NEd7SDsRrYQOviG-Yrh0-w_7lD9OBok-ZKiCUDbAMPDK4pBxt57RajnGajdSEfBQikwb0miVTo0laa6-cNYm8MJREYKzy1YF_FTVxpAjMKElEEHGgeVrf/s1600/P1010348.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuojHWur7272nDULucOU9DclbjQzWT5yv48fizNkbp2SMcHDyzzozUEVoX1kDKoil8NXfToEYah0SsHJTfnzjgUP12yPYcnzfM6eNxZ3rx74UkWx4PwgKv_y8PgRyIdlA7FLQUdWtISkjg/s1600/P1010348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuojHWur7272nDULucOU9DclbjQzWT5yv48fizNkbp2SMcHDyzzozUEVoX1kDKoil8NXfToEYah0SsHJTfnzjgUP12yPYcnzfM6eNxZ3rx74UkWx4PwgKv_y8PgRyIdlA7FLQUdWtISkjg/s400/P1010348.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">some of their many sharks!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-80MYM8zfKxBiHnn5ElwqIzh94SD4LVbXFgKYdsg7yBmQQtbn-pxCZEo_433NrAH5JkSIuJLFpQrpaU8z-ibTehZJdm-RqU-uHJ5qtraxLo3Vo6Xgmmf1q5cFNopNb6ns2hZVRuLVbW0t/s1600/P1010355.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo09bYi91bg0AYWzMknXGqn8APUVM9JAvo67b5N5TqwgvQTsMwtC7IU7Ppvs_u7JSsrNvTYnx3AKKXw9paE_fqjY8BQ7Tkia9eDKfZGMMX7_ickLihLCZ-Sh7n3KqBedi2Y28a7ud6Yd9/s1600/P1010355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo09bYi91bg0AYWzMknXGqn8APUVM9JAvo67b5N5TqwgvQTsMwtC7IU7Ppvs_u7JSsrNvTYnx3AKKXw9paE_fqjY8BQ7Tkia9eDKfZGMMX7_ickLihLCZ-Sh7n3KqBedi2Y28a7ud6Yd9/s400/P1010355.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Todd in his vacation hat! Probably telling me not to take a picture of him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5lQ5IfG1f3i_p6KjrGt7jIRzKrEhbLRkM1VRy1WzEq6ZQHKfD1euMb3V5tXxAaIkN57qJVRGBRwb2WcyjghgmbJakcwcAwhUKjlY_GzI2aEPmGFf9EYfFvdjahG0vvC_Z6gCH-90Pan_/s1600/P1010329.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTHK0zT7iOa9KYGuVFX0x-jkbiciWG9EKSf32WMjx2KCayy8xptiERYFSVS7Gzjlq9g_NA-tL5nGCuTTzYQbFnby7fZAtVbI0rnvSXe-D7SMmz7QDqaG87wqPQKcIhEno2t70dKb1owFp/s1600/P1010329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTHK0zT7iOa9KYGuVFX0x-jkbiciWG9EKSf32WMjx2KCayy8xptiERYFSVS7Gzjlq9g_NA-tL5nGCuTTzYQbFnby7fZAtVbI0rnvSXe-D7SMmz7QDqaG87wqPQKcIhEno2t70dKb1owFp/s400/P1010329.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">About to play some mini golf!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2wPibT8VpnlR1BF8k4_dtraCk7eLyLwafCBi2B4IEGpAGr5AVQpR9c-J3SH6utXicyinct6SLapKg93-k4xnsVusDwRM5oDbUzJjsuGVFTPP65BfD5X0mQt6F1wR7EQhrxTDID0BeR0I/s1600/P1010321.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YLVFdpwjvG7WehovIlztMXRWYTJ-ARApDwXwU1a5xwlOKkcwDlnzWSC6xwmsKNVbj0ATKwhCCieC2pNA2WWJXmHSqNDBhm7MTjCYKx0-5P_CyeDTGsDwhHaVnEAtqeL-yBU3Yrk5CQ81/s1600/P1010321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YLVFdpwjvG7WehovIlztMXRWYTJ-ARApDwXwU1a5xwlOKkcwDlnzWSC6xwmsKNVbj0ATKwhCCieC2pNA2WWJXmHSqNDBhm7MTjCYKx0-5P_CyeDTGsDwhHaVnEAtqeL-yBU3Yrk5CQ81/s400/P1010321.JPG" width="300" /></span></span></span></a><br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I started to take pictures next to each hole-in-one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But I'm too awesome at putt-putt and it started getting ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U6Tpt7cMwh_Onwf4wxncpI90t8sjL8ufkpve9oK4S8te8JjjIt3PyyGyEnGD6N59v8821fg2_tkZhqgppLc3ZZPqP0qjsdyDwGZoB0ttnVoZD_KMA7BzMq5GyZMj3IYVqv0bjwO1exi4/s1600/P1010324.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkjshBgptAy5XDHprTFzEDmN1UMKrH8AjuYuiqPW5iHNs-wKLoKzxbkGS4bmOdIRDtO2j6x6TqU18s6AZOnGvZyz6-nUH_L_uwwG-u25eEmY_tumC0j0jZBuvOMpIYIhJXKt2qeHQLb71/s1600/P1010322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkjshBgptAy5XDHprTFzEDmN1UMKrH8AjuYuiqPW5iHNs-wKLoKzxbkGS4bmOdIRDtO2j6x6TqU18s6AZOnGvZyz6-nUH_L_uwwG-u25eEmY_tumC0j0jZBuvOMpIYIhJXKt2qeHQLb71/s400/P1010322.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a><br />
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</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvJY8cTquElkFyzDv_vBko9clQZo519WPfQYkUC6DjpCS7F_9NiGJsMhaFQx3qxEE9eXdBwrjO6IKVch2aVYf-UdYvM_C1d1XEj6OGaPR-zooPmk47ehq0vOkWRX5VeDormT7cUJaDopZ/s1600/P1010322.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADQ56CeYhbGleduLG6mhDNvqUsemYrQBqTexFefntNjyQsyVxYRTe92VmjLgLuv7ufeXm0lT3JasiDqeK52qcaa61JPv8wKI4Hsswt086Gwl71iQy_gZbbM4RTOTj8YmB38hpwaRE1n8p/s1600/P1010324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADQ56CeYhbGleduLG6mhDNvqUsemYrQBqTexFefntNjyQsyVxYRTe92VmjLgLuv7ufeXm0lT3JasiDqeK52qcaa61JPv8wKI4Hsswt086Gwl71iQy_gZbbM4RTOTj8YmB38hpwaRE1n8p/s400/P1010324.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kwwyenctdoND1Cqo8vZRhVz9P5Lh2hwjZiQZMWtfjo4HnDSBqrya8wGkNonZoYm2rCRvwkxDiExwIeIOQvndoVnN5Okijym8DU5On5R1MpdFbElgPpOtwMwAeca29DegHuemx8L_VkOn/s1600/P1010325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kwwyenctdoND1Cqo8vZRhVz9P5Lh2hwjZiQZMWtfjo4HnDSBqrya8wGkNonZoYm2rCRvwkxDiExwIeIOQvndoVnN5Okijym8DU5On5R1MpdFbElgPpOtwMwAeca29DegHuemx8L_VkOn/s400/P1010325.JPG" width="300" /></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijahYmm9axqjSyzzf3b4dPS8tj1QBlZVYTu6VZwR1AgZpYcZx61tzHEqCMn7udCyN2mXb0uXdutGCrAGq2sYOgGP4mBRdLIehQ5Mg2KEMlyuGCny-ubfEBjIHEawBxLofDaAlLIk22iXD1/s1600/P1010325.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Somehow I only got one beach picture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is the beach outside out hotel. But we mostly swam at the public beaches.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPdvCqWSH-LvvfSMzkza_P2SPmOgzjIqnDPV5dZvRtD9f1j2azKdyttiGlp8RIbZpQascsMu8WkOqX-koLnUNcxnOk1S1juzy4dyXwkjVAWabBI2kegodUjyak5mYMfmu3dOiEfAvw9lO/s1600/P1010361.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWubawE1dFGatEDh2sTg9HUWAGQCZcWeVix1RuNMtWJ9PDJP8ETRGB7n8YG4vcmEtSx6o1WCGniVNdYa3pzJsGimkNmC1GGZBeNeVG6sJg_mWXpwSwJNhf8tWz8exUDwnnG-aJEdpQBp_/s1600/P1010361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWubawE1dFGatEDh2sTg9HUWAGQCZcWeVix1RuNMtWJ9PDJP8ETRGB7n8YG4vcmEtSx6o1WCGniVNdYa3pzJsGimkNmC1GGZBeNeVG6sJg_mWXpwSwJNhf8tWz8exUDwnnG-aJEdpQBp_/s400/P1010361.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Overall, we had a very nice trip!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=66babab1-dcaa-452b-9561-65309f67d40d" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-70254542630935167482010-06-24T14:00:00.000-07:002010-06-24T14:00:54.120-07:00Adventures in MarathonsUm, no I did not actually run a marathon. If you have not heard my "marathon story" about how I happened to get suckered into participating in a marathon. Then remind me sometime. It was one of the worst days of my life - so pretty funny for you! No, this is about a different sort of marathon.<br />
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Last week was a marathon of house projects for Todd and I! We had quite a few things on our list and [Todd] decided that we should just try to get them all done before we had family and friends over Saturday night. I'm really only kidding - Todd is not quite a slave driver - but we did do a lot of work on the house last week.<br />
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I mostly painted. and painted. and painted. So much so, that my left left wrist is slightly crippled from holding my trim cup in a weird way. I painted the hallway! I'll reveal the color below - I know you're all waiting with bated breath. I also painted the master bedroom, the shutters that the <s>lazy</s> former owners of our house swore they had painted but clearly hadn't!, some trim around the outside of the house that should have been done by the former owners, and the front door. As I'm writing this and thinking about everything I painted, I swear it was more stuff! It feels like I've painted every surface of our home. I never want to see another paint brush again!<br />
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Todd did man stuff. Switching out light plates, working on the lawn, weeding every single weed out of our flower beds up and mulching the whole thing, and fixing the back gate.<br />
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Together, we also made a headboard for our bed - which I am really proud of!<br />
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Here are some finished pictures of all our hard work:<br />
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The hallway it is a pale yellow actually called orange glow. If you look it up on the computer, it looks peach - so don't bother.One of the blogs I read said to never use the flash for pictures (if you can help it). Here is the hallway flooded with natural light.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZQOFCPVIF1jbFAl6cvCKlSHmSqCjsPaaVffcsE3NEw9A91TnidQo2C30EWEsV8RC8qm7rJy1p5ogyepqmFiXS9B70dWLGCkRHmfaqC9AVNur7_K4XhZUxYQiGH7ODMUrGn5okXSZHD4K/s1600/P1010316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZQOFCPVIF1jbFAl6cvCKlSHmSqCjsPaaVffcsE3NEw9A91TnidQo2C30EWEsV8RC8qm7rJy1p5ogyepqmFiXS9B70dWLGCkRHmfaqC9AVNur7_K4XhZUxYQiGH7ODMUrGn5okXSZHD4K/s400/P1010316.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had to use the flash on this one. You can see the color difference.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This hallway is home to my programs from Broadway and West End show I've seen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJmuKgqvPOMKtjwk2HpnPUMqqgSs5Tll42oVoaWPzxjvEB-MkbAg2XWqrlRL7AapdxIqcjFS3k05-tE5PbHLAidSlK0dI_BMppaic2aJcGFMvan48RULpoJeLcgeRJNKbun-pCm69DAEv/s1600/P1010300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJmuKgqvPOMKtjwk2HpnPUMqqgSs5Tll42oVoaWPzxjvEB-MkbAg2XWqrlRL7AapdxIqcjFS3k05-tE5PbHLAidSlK0dI_BMppaic2aJcGFMvan48RULpoJeLcgeRJNKbun-pCm69DAEv/s400/P1010300.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The bedroom color is painted a grey-blue. Behr's "River Rocks". </div><div style="text-align: center;">It only took me 5 testers to pick the right color.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am always amazed at how much color changes from room to room and depending on the light.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxLBGV2TluVLwlPsGSnpqjKZAjvkS99XXHF5SIngutW6-izF-H5z13rZ9b6uTObkfR3REtK-5V_H-czUB9rs7j5A_eO9R7BiRTTUoTTHZWF0ulJYKXpdf00jjP14OctqyZwYnKYWkCGHL/s1600/P1010305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxLBGV2TluVLwlPsGSnpqjKZAjvkS99XXHF5SIngutW6-izF-H5z13rZ9b6uTObkfR3REtK-5V_H-czUB9rs7j5A_eO9R7BiRTTUoTTHZWF0ulJYKXpdf00jjP14OctqyZwYnKYWkCGHL/s400/P1010305.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Here is our awesome, amazing headboard!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCm_Wm8hbF4VmkmggXTw9peMEoKRCGwJ-JFQc1w8LP4xVLulIiOgD_5awwn93Pwvl-Fx8WsEa4xIrL33d0U5bXiOOjjTjc-yrI8Q4DzXHQmEt-Qbdk2nh59M1aM1WPjMZPd8MKt9ghM_pe/s1600/P1010304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCm_Wm8hbF4VmkmggXTw9peMEoKRCGwJ-JFQc1w8LP4xVLulIiOgD_5awwn93Pwvl-Fx8WsEa4xIrL33d0U5bXiOOjjTjc-yrI8Q4DzXHQmEt-Qbdk2nh59M1aM1WPjMZPd8MKt9ghM_pe/s400/P1010304.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Todd's handy work on the weeding and my shutter paint job:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">In addition to weeding and painting the shutters, we also trimmed the hedges.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Finally, here is a picture of our front door freshly painted green (it used to be white)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">So I'm taking a week off! This weekend we will go to Texas to visit Todd's family in Waco and celebrate his grandmother's 80th birthday! After that we will continue out trip and go down to Galveston for a couple of days. I'm looking forward to the trip!</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-56901631418922762672010-06-13T12:17:00.000-07:002010-06-13T12:22:15.876-07:00Adventures in paintingI think the hardest part about painting is deciding on the color. I can be an indecisive person at times. Most of those times involve decided where to eat, or deciding paint colors. Someone please just take me somewhere with queso and tell me what colors to paint my rooms.<br />
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Actually I am very happy with the way the living room turned out, and that was a very impulsive paint buy. The sage green seems to be working out well. Maybe I should just be more impulsive with my paint. I took my time picking out our next color, and I'm pretty happy with it...now. I wasn't too happy with it about halfway through the project and wanted to quit. The color I selected was "bagel" when I did the test patch it seemed to be very warm with a hint of yellow. By the time I got finished painted the whole thing, it seemed more yellow with a hint of yellow. But it has grown on me and now I really like it.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The color "bagel" on the paint stick:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My one true "before" shot:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Getting started, before I had second thoughts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBp3HI00myWZwJYCnkBqBmlV0AxzmRc5iqfj1pfcbWezImb2ELczmQAz_QvcTbShQ7JoF7gkhq0iMtk4w0Js0CLjNw5z4zBb868lXZDAY1fzbTmw5D2PgL7jahvrDZzzBafNBryIB5rD2A/s1600/P1010253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBp3HI00myWZwJYCnkBqBmlV0AxzmRc5iqfj1pfcbWezImb2ELczmQAz_QvcTbShQ7JoF7gkhq0iMtk4w0Js0CLjNw5z4zBb868lXZDAY1fzbTmw5D2PgL7jahvrDZzzBafNBryIB5rD2A/s400/P1010253.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">After Todd and Eric talking me down from the ledge and I finished:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Looking into the kitchen from the dining room:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The window and pots that will one day house my herb garden </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(when I get to that)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">The next paint project is our hallway, which leads to the bedrooms. Both the dining room and the hallway can be seen from the living room. So, in one corner you see the yellow of the dining room from the sage green living room and in the opposite corner you can see the hallway from the living room. We are stumped as to what color to paint the hallway. I'll post some pictures so you have a visual. What color would you paint it?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Morty and Zatara are also puzzled about what color to paint the hallway:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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What color would you choose?<br />
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</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133340766304408689.post-78837335298804358842010-06-09T21:30:00.000-07:002010-06-12T09:05:34.191-07:00Adventures in house guests!My friend Eric came in town and stayed with us. I am always so glad to see him. His visit also gave us extra motivation to clear out our "I'll get to that" room. This is the room full of stuff we haven't gotten around to unpacking yet! The few (ok, many) things we hadn't figured out where to put in the house. I think this is because we don't need them. I mean we've lived without them for nearly two months! So many of those things went to the thrift store.<br />
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Once We had the guest room cleaned out, we put the bed together. The room seemed to be a little lacking, so Todd and I hit the garage sales. We were looking for a small dresser/chest and a bedside table. We didn't find a dresser but came back with a really cute side table. It was pretty beat up, so we painted it a pretty green.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Here is how the side table and room turned out:</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We still want to paint this room and add to it. But it is a nice start. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>When Eric came in town, we cooked steaks on the back porch and mostly stayed in the air conditioning! It seemed to be the hottest days so far! Eric and I also went to several garages sales and explored downtown Yukon. For me, the highlight of his visit was trying the self-serve frozen yogurt shop, Orange Leaf. It was delicious! I'm sure I am the last person on earth to try this new fad, but definitely want to go back.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Eric and I at the yogurt shop:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So we are now open for visitors! Come one, come all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749395950155206521noreply@blogger.com1